Cyclospora tops 4,200 US cases as egg salmonella outbreak hits 17 states
Why it matters: The outbreaks are unrelated, but they underscore how a shared national food supply can spread contamination across state lines.
A large cyclospora outbreak and a separate salmonella outbreak linked to eggs are heightening concerns about U.S. food safety. PBS NewsHour reported nearly 4,200 confirmed cyclospora cases across nine states, along with more than 7,400 additional unconfirmed cases. The salmonella outbreak has sickened almost 100 people in 17 states. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, said the cyclospora surge appears to be the largest on record. She said the two outbreaks are not connected: they involve different pathogens, different foods and different states. What links them, she said, is an interconnected food system in which large producers ship products nationwide, allowing contamination to reach consumers across many states.