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· collected 2026-08-04 · by Paula Wethington, Gino Vicci, Joseph Buczek
Two Michigan residents who had "significant underlying health conditions" have died after contracting cyclosporiasis, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday.
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Department → have → Monday
State officials have been providing nearly daily updates over the past few weeks on the
, which has sickened thousands of people.
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which → provide → people
Without going into further details, the health department said both cases involved people with significant underlying health conditions that may have been complicated by cyclosporiasis and dehydration.
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that → go → cyclosporiasis
"Cyclosporiasis is generally not a life-threatening illness.
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Cyclosporiasis → threaten → ?
Death resulting from cyclosporiasis is uncommon in the United States," Michigan health officials said.
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officials → result → States
Despite the fatalities, medical experts say the deaths should not cause widespread alarm.
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deaths → say → alarm
"There is really no reason for alarm," said Dr. Joel Kammeyer of Wayne State University.
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Kammeyer → be → University
"Whereas we don't know the details, I have to say that I wasn't incredibly shocked to hear this news."
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I → know → news
Kammeyer added that dehydration caused by the parasite can be especially dangerous for people with multiple health conditions.
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dehydration → add → conditions
"For patients that have multiple medical issues at one time, it may be the case that there might be the occasional patient that's poorly equipped to withstand the dehydration that cyclosporiasis can lead to," Kammeyer said.
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Kammeyer → have → that
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it has counted 11,234 cases as of Aug. 3, up 461 from the 10,773 cases as of July 31.
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it → say → July
Tracking of an outbreak of the intestinal ailment began in Michigan on June 22.
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Tracking → begin → June
Health officials say 193 of those Michigan residents have been hospitalized as of July 30.
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193 → say → July
The CDC says its surveillance updates do not include probable cases, only laboratory-confirmed cases.
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updates → say → cases
The CDC works with state officials to update the counts as additional information becomes available.
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information → work → counts
Michigan normally sees around 50 cases of cyclosporiasis per year, according to MDHHS.
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Michigan → see → MDHHS
Michigan health officials report case numbers Monday through Friday.
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officials → report → Friday
Hospital reports are updated once a week on Thursdays.
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reports → update → Thursdays
Canadian officials notice increased cases
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officials → notice → cases
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit in Ontario said it is urging its residents to take precautions when traveling to Michigan, given the significant increase in cases of cyclosporiasis.
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it → say → cyclosporiasis
As of July 31, Windsor-Essex has identified 24 cases of cyclosporiasis in 2026.
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Essex → identify → 2026
In a typical year, the region averages only around three cases.
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region → average → cases
"Local public health investigations have identified travel to Michigan as a common exposure among many recent cases," the county health department said.
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department → identify → cases
Symptoms of cyclosporiasis
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a parasite that causes the diarrheal illness cyclosporiasis.
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that → cause → illness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the most common symptoms associated with the illness are frequent watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, bloating, nausea and fatigue.
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symptoms → say → appetite
Some people may also experience body aches, headache or vomiting.
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people → experience → aches
Symptoms typically begin about a week after infection, and remain from about two days to two weeks or longer.
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Symptoms → begin → weeks
"Without treatment, illness can last for weeks and may come and go," Wayne County health officials said.
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officials → last → weeks
Michigan's outbreak was first detected in Monroe County in late June and has since spread to 70 counties, with Southeast Michigan bearing the heaviest burden.
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Michigan → detect → burden
Oakland and Wayne counties each have reported more than 1,000 cases.
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counties → report → cases
Eaton, Genesee, Ingham, Lenawee, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Shiawassee, Washtenaw and Wayne counties are all reporting more than 300 cases each.
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counties → report → cases
The Wayne County Public Health agency in Michigan said on July 30 that it is reaching out to community residents with a survey to gather more information about the outbreak.
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it → say → outbreak
"If we contact you, please take a few minutes to answer our questions.
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we → contact → questions
Your response helps us identify possible sources of illness and protect the health of our community," Wayne County Public Health said.
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Health → help → community
Tips to prevent cyclosporiasis
Michigan health officials shared the following tips for avoiding the illness:
- Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, under running water, before cutting, cooking or eating.
- Scrub firm fruits and vegetables, such as melons and cucumbers, with a produce brush when cleaning.
- Cut away any damaged or bruised areas of produce before preparing and eating.
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officials → prevent → produce
Michigan officials said on July 13 that testing pointed to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source, though other foods hadn't been ruled out.
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foods → say → source
On July 24, the Centers for Disease Control
to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to the outbreak.
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Centers → link → outbreak
However, federal officials said there are
active in the United States.
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officials → say → States
Health officials are encouraging residents to continue eating fresh produce while taking steps to reduce their risk of illness.
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officials → encourage → illness
"We're continuing to recommend that patients not necessarily avoid lettuce, but wash it at home, peel off the outer layer," Kammeyer said.
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Kammeyer → continue → layer
…and 4 more, not listed.
