SANDUSKY — There’s more bad news about the Cyclospora cayetanensis cases, but there may be a ray of hope in the numbers, according to the Erie County Health Department.
“We are up to 175 cases,” Taylor Kula, an epic with the Health Department said. “There has been a slight decrease in the amount of cases coming in this week so we are hopeful but it can take up to two weeks for symptoms to show up so we are still monitoring closely.”
Cases of Cyclospora cayetanensis reached 51 reported as of July 20.
The Transmission: You get it by consuming fresh produce or water contaminated with microscopic amounts of human feces.
The Good News: You cannot catch it directly from another person. The parasite requires 1 to 2 weeks in the environment outside the body before it becomes infectious, so brief interactions with an infected person won’t spread it.
The Culprits: No single food source has been identified yet, but past outbreaks have been heavily tied to raw, imported fresh produce like pre-washed bagged salads, cilantro, basil, green onions, raspberries, and snow peas.
⚠️ What to Look For: Symptoms usually hit about a week after eating contaminated food. If left untreated, they can drag on for weeks or even months, frequently disappearing only to return in miserable waves.
The Tell-Tale Symptoms:
Watery, frequent, or explosive diarrhea (the most common symptom)
Severe abdominal cramps and bloating
Prolonged fatigue and body aches
Loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss
Nausea and low-grade fever
