www.unilad.com

... More than 18,000 confirmed and suspected Cyclospora cases have now been reported across 45 states, making it the largest outbreak of the parasite in US history, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

infection have shot up to a total of 10,700.

Michigan has recorded more than twice as many cases as the second hardest-hit state, Ohio, which has reported around 4,000 confirmed infections.

And health experts are now urging residents to thoroughly wash and trim certain types of produce before eating them, with the majority of cases being diagnosed in and around Detroit.

While Michigan health officials have yet to identify the specific source of the state's outbreak, federal investigators have linked Cyclospora cases elsewhere in the US to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, and sold through Taco Bell and other retailers. ...

Trump admin "aware" of deaths in explosive diarrhea outbreak, delays reporting
arstechnica.com

... While news of the deaths made widespread headlines Monday, federal health agencies under the Trump administration were mostly silent. The Food and Drug Administration -- which is conducting traceback investigations to dentify foods contaminated with the parasite"has not updated its outbreak investigation page since July 24, nearly two weeks ago, as of publication time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, added a banner notice on its outbreak update webpage saying that the agency was "aware" of the two cases. But its reporting data was not updated to include the two deaths as of this publication.
Sluggish data

Ars Technica contacted the US Department of Health and Human Services about the un-updated numbers to ask if the CDC was still awaiting confirmatory data on the two deaths. In a response, HHS Press Secretary Emily Hilliard confirmed the information provided by Michigan's health department on the two deaths and said that "FDA and CDC plan to update overall illness numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths this week."

Outside experts have speculated that the agencies' sluggish responses to the outbreak may stem from harsh budget and staffing cuts, along with widespread upheaval at the agencies.

Anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has generally tried to shift focus away from infectious diseases and outbreak prevention -- aligning with his longstanding efforts to disparage vaccines and downplay their need -- and instead redirect attention to wellness campaigns, such as improving diet and exercise. ...