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Ask Dr. Nandi: As the cyclosporiasis outbreak lingers, is it now safe to eat lettuce?
PrevNextIn today’s Health Alert, Michigan’s Cyclospora outbreak continues to linger, even as the number of new cases declines. Health officials say the situation is improving, but is lettuce safe to eat?
By:Dr. Partha Nandi
Posted
and last updated
(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, Michigan’s Cyclospora outbreak continues to linger, even as the number of new cases declines. Health officials say the situation is improving, but is lettuce safe to eat?
Ask Dr. Nandi: As the cyclosporiasis outbreak lingers, is it now safe to eat lettuce?
The good news is that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says residents can resume routine guidance for eating lettuce and salad greens
As for cyclosporiasis cases, Michigan has seen far fewer cases over the past couple of weeks. The latest Surveillance Report shows 144 cases in week 33, down from 382 the week before and 1,364 the week before that. That brings Michigan’s total for 2026 to 14,567 cases
Now, the FDA says most illnesses began before the Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce recall was announced July 17. The most recent illness began August 15, but that does not necessarily mean the person was exposed recently
With Cyclospora, symptoms can take anywhere from two days to two weeks to appear. And it can take public health officials as long as six weeks to determine whether an illness is connected to an outbreak. So, a recently reported case could actually be from an exposure weeks earlier
Routine food-safety practices include washing your hands and surfaces often, rinsing fresh produce, keeping raw meat and eggs away from other foods, cooking food thoroughly, and refrigerating it promptly
And if you had recalled lettuce in your home, be sure to carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers it may have touched
Now, anyone can get cyclosporiasis, but older adults, young children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously ill
Cyclosporiasis doesn’t usually lead to death, but unfortunately, two people died in connection with this outbreak. And both reportedly had significant underlying health conditions. So, if you want to be extra cautious, cook your vegetables thoroughly and choose fruits you peel yourself, like bananas and oranges, as they’re lower-risk choices
As for when this outbreak may be officially over, health officials need to see that new illnesses are no longer emerging and allow time for recently reported cases to be tested and investigated. So, it’s possible we could see this outbreak end in the next few weeks
For now, since the FDA says it remains confident that the recalled iceberg lettuce is no longer on the market, most people do not need to avoid lettuce or other fresh produce
