A parasite that causes intestinal illness has not infected 71 in Linn County, Iowa.
The cyclospora parasite is suspected to come from people not washing their fruits and vegetables well or at all. The disease causes diarrhea, bomiting, and muscle aches, among other things, and symptoms can last from nine to 43 days if left untreated, according to the Gazette, a media outlet in Eastern Iowa.
Cyclospora spreads by people putting something in their mouths that was contaminated with infected stool, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. It can further spread through an infected person contaminating objects or food.
The department told the Gazette that the number of cases is rising, but it isn’t that more people are getting it, but that awareness is spreading, leading to more people being tested.
“We don’t think it means there is a lot of continuing exposure,” said Patricia Quinlisk, state epidemiologist and medical director at the Iowa Department of Public Health said last week. “We’re not sure yet because we don’t know what it is (that is causing the illness). We’re still recommending people wash off fruits and vegetables the best they can.”
People are also getting the disease in Nebraska. The current outbreak started in mid-June. It can take weeks from the time someone gets infected for that person to show symptoms.
