The number of cases in rare food-borne illness has doubled in two states in four days.
Confirmed cases of a rare food-borne illness has doubled in Iowa and dramatically increased in Nebraska. According to FOX news, public health agencies have been searching for a source.
The outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an infection obtained by eating food or drinking water infected with human or animal feces, has caused 45 Iowa residents to become ill, according to Iowa Department of Public Health.
"We're not ready to say it's absolutely for sure, but things are pointing more towards a vegetable rather than a fruit but we're still looking at everything," said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, epidemiologist and medical director of Iowa's public health agency.
According to Quinlisk, the increase in cases may be the result of more people getting tested after hearing about the outbreak. Dr. Quinlisk suggested that people wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly to reduce the risk of illness.
According to the health department, the main task is determining whether the illnesses is from a batch of contaminated produce and if new batched delivered are continuing the exposure.
"Right now it's hard to say but most people coming in now did get sick a while ago not a couple of days ago," Dr. Quinlisk said. "We don't want to say whether exposures continue. We don't know for sure. "
According to Fox news, Nebraska has documented 35 cases as of Friday. Most of the cases come from Iowa, who currently has 45 residents reported sick. The cases began mid-June, according to Fox news and only one person has been hospitalized.
Symptoms of the illness include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps, nausea, body aches and fatigue. The recommended treatment is a combination of two antibiotics.
According to reports the illness is rare in Iowa, with only a maximum of two cases reported a year. These cases usually included people who obtain the illness while traveling. In Nebraska, no cases has been reported in four years.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the illness is not known to be national. In 2011, only 151 cases were documented. Over the years, the outbreak has been traced to blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, vegetable-bases salads, tuna salad green bean, peas and fruit salad.
