Dr. Catherine Brown said Massachusetts cyclospora outbreak cases rose by 104 in July, lifting the state total to 147 this year after health officials linked some illnesses to recalled Taylor Farms lettuce sold through food service locations.
The state’s count is the highest in Massachusetts since 2019, when officials traced 211 cases to contamination in several restaurants. Brown said, “It’s hard for me to get super concerned about what we’re seeing so far.”
Dr. Catherine Brown and Massachusetts
Brown told health care providers that the Massachusetts increase was noteworthy but not yet alarming. She also said, “Look at numbers of cases other states are reporting,” pointing to much larger totals elsewhere in the national outbreak of cyclospora.
Cases in Massachusetts have not otherwise exceeded 100 in a decade. The current total is still well below the level tied to the 2019 restaurant contamination, even after July’s jump.
Taylor Farms lettuce in Massachusetts
State officials traced some Massachusetts cases to Taylor Farms lettuce sold at food service locations. Brown said the locations were not limited to one part of Massachusetts and were not all fast food businesses.
She said Taco Bell restaurants in Massachusetts had not been linked to any local infections. The FDA notified health officials that contaminated lettuce had been sold in Massachusetts after the recall had already been announced.
CDC outbreak calls
Brown said the people sickened in Massachusetts appear to have contracted the infection in early July, before the recall. She also said, “That is not evidence of ongoing issues right this moment,” and, “We’re not seeing evidence of a different source that hasn’t already been identified nationally.”
At least once a week, the CDC hosts a cyclospora-focused national phone call that DPH officials join. The CDC said other sources, including other produce brands, restaurants, and retailers, could still be tied to the outbreak, and the federal public health agency said Tuesday that there have been 10,468 lab-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases since May.
For People in Massachusetts, the practical question is whether a recent illness may match one of the small clusters tied to food service locations. The unanswered point is which specific Massachusetts restaurants or food service locations received the recalled lettuce.
