illness

The updated cyclosporiasis case numbers, released Sunday, show more Missourians have tested positive for the parasite, but the rate of illness is slowing.

Workers were searching for a home equipped for 17-year-old Korbin Papadopoulos' medical needs. Instead, he was sent to a foster home whose caregiver said he wasn't trained or licensed to manage diabetes.

The cyclosporiasis numbers released Sunday by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services are a 24% increase from the previous week.

Just like all previous summers since the pandemic began, COVID-19 cases are ticking up again, even while other health threats make more headlines.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services released new numbers Sunday showing 1,577 people in the state have tested positive for the parasite.

Missouri health officials say the CDC has added the state to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce grown in central Mexico, though the agency has not yet publicly announced the change.

Missouri health officials say increased testing and reporting have contributed to the case count as investigators continue searching for the outbreak's source.

At least 460 people in Kansas have become ill this summer due to an outbreak of the cyclospora parasite. Nicole Belote of Hutchinson alleges she became “extremely ill” after eating a Taco Supreme and spent three days in the hospital.

Food safety experts say contaminated water in farm fields is a likely culprit. But questions still remain about the current outbreak.

A parasite that causes severe diarrhea has sickened more than a thousand people in Kansas and Missouri. Federal officials are still investigating the cause of the outbreak, but it’s making some people scrutinize where their produce comes from.

Missouri health officials said they are confident the number of reported cases reflects exposure to contaminated food inside the state. But investigators are still working to identify the source of the outbreak.

Taylor Farms, a vegetable producer linked to the outbreak, issued a recall of iceberg lettuce shipped to 27 states, including Missouri.