What could be worse than living under a heat dome this summer? Try living under a heat dome, sweating out that hundred-degree heat on the toilet with explosive, watery diarrhea.
A mysterious parasite has ripped through at least twenty states, sickening more than 140 people — officially — and sending twenty to the hospital (there have been no fatalities recorded).
The parasite, called cyclospora, causes cyclosporiasis, a particularly gnarly form of food poisoning that goes through all of the hits: severe diarrhea, cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, bloating, loss of appetite, and fatigue. These symptoms typically start presenting themselves a week or so after infection.
What’s puzzling the CDC and other health officials is the source of this outbreak. Typically, this parasite is contracted through travel outside the United States, with the highest risk of infection coming from eating food in subtropical or tropical areas. Additionally, the parasite doesn’t seem to spread human to human, making the sheer number of cases all the more mysterious (and there are no doubt far more cases happening that officially being reported).
There is certainly a precedent for cyclosporiasis outbreaks tearing through the U.S., usually linked to a specific food source. So far, officials have been unable to trace the source of this outbreak. In other words, wash those hands, people.
