US health officials say cyclospora outbreak has ended as number of reported cases declines
Packages of Taylor Farms salad greens are displayed at a Safeway store on July 16, 2026, in Kings Beach, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the cyclospora outbreak that plagued thousands of people across the country during the summer months has ended.
The outbreak, which was eventually tied to iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms, sickened almost 13,000 people in 21 states. Two people died and at least 570 people were hospitalized due to cyclospora illness.
The FDA announced in July that it was investigating cyclospora illnesses linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia after several cases of cyclospora had been reported in late June.
The CDC said Friday more than 1,000 cases were reported in a single day at the height of the outbreak, before the contaminated lettuce was recalled by Taylor Farms on July 17. The illness notably made headlines for causing “explosive diarrhea.”
Citing a decline in infections linked to the outbreak — fewer than two per day in August — and all contaminated Taylor Farms products being taken out of circulation, the CDC said it considers this specific outbreak over. It notes the best-by dates for all products linked to the outbreak have passed and are no longer available in stores or restaurants.
The FDA will continue to investigate the cause of the contamination, which has not yet been identified.
(NEW YORK) — New guidelines from the American Cancer Society are expanding colon cancer screening options beyond colonoscopies and established stool-based tests.
The recommendations still call for colorectal cancer screening in people at average risk starting at age 45 and continuing through age 75 for those with a life expectancy of 10 more years.
And colonoscopy is still considered the gold standard test.
But for the first time, the updated guidelines now include a blood-based screening test done in a doctor’s office. They also add new stool sample kits and a recently FDA-approved at-home test that looks for blood and different molecular markers in stool samples.
Experts note that offering more choices is critical to address gaps in screening for this highly preventable disease, which is most treatable when caught early.
“Individuals who decline or do not complete [testing] are probably a greater number than are actually appreciated,” Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, told ABC News. “And I think a lot of our data on colorectal screening probably overstates the number of people actually up to date on their screening guidelines.”
As the new guidelines point out, the most effective colorectal cancer screening test is the one people are willing to get. More than 20 million eligible Americans remain unscreened, according to the ACS.
While stool-based tests are reasonable options for most people, the new guidelines stress that the blood tests should be considered a last resort for people unable or unwilling to get any other form of testing because they are less likely to catch issues compared to other types of screening.
People who choose colonoscopy should be tested every 10 years. Other screening tests should be done every one, three, or five years, depending on the specific method selected.
These new guidelines come as colon cancer rates rise in younger adults across the US. ASC statistics show that 1 in 5 new colorectal cancer cases now occur in people younger than 55, up from about 1 in 10 in the mid-1990s.
“This is a disease that historically, we saw in older individuals, so people 50 and over or maybe even 60 and over. And now we are starting to see an inching up of incidents in people who are less than age 50,” Dr. Fola May, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told ABC News.
She said she hoped that having a range of choices would push more people to get tested.
The ACS likely wants to “make sure that patients understand that these tests can be done at home. So you don’t need to take a day off of work. You don’t need an escort, you don’t need to have an invasive procedure,” May said.
The ACS advised people to work with a trusted healthcare provider to decide which test is best for them.
Dahut stressed that the recommendations apply only to people of average risk without symptoms and with no family or personal history of colorectal cancer. Consumers should check with their insurance provider to see which options their plan covers.
It’s important to be aware of the symptoms and take them seriously, he added.
“So if one has symptoms, blood in their stool, symptoms of obstruction, abdominal pain that’s persistent or change in stool patterns, then they need to have a workup for those symptoms and not have a blood-based test like this or a stool-based test,” he said.
Ari Goldstein, MD, MPH, is a board-certified family physician and preventive medicine resident at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
An Influenza Vaccine is prepared for a patient, Sept. 12, 2025, in Coral Gables, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(SAN ANTONIO) — The basic training facility for the Air Force in San Antonio, Texas, is experiencing a flu outbreak following the end of mandatory vaccination for all service members.
As of Wednesday, there are at least 159 known cases among recruits and two hospitalizations at Joint Base San Antonio, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. One source told ABC News the number of cases and hospitalizations may be higher.
The outbreak comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in April that the annual flu vaccine would be optional for all U.S. military personnel, both active and reserve.
Previously, the flu vaccine was mandatory, but the new policy is in line with a previous change of making the COVID-19 vaccine optional.
The Pentagon has granted the military services exceptions to the policy, so the flu vaccine can be required in certain cases.
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed the outbreak to ABC News and said in a statement that over the last three weeks there has been a “localized influenza outbreak among trainees at Basic Military Training.”
“Medical professionals and Public Health officials have implemented mitigation measures to isolate and treat symptomatic trainees to reduce further exposure and continue to monitor the situation,” the statement read. “Medical personnel are also monitoring trainees who were in close contact with sick members in case they become symptomatic.”
The spokesperson said symptomatic trainees are receiving “the appropriate care” including antiviral medications such as Tamiflu.
“Once they are cleared by medical professionals they will return to training,” the statement said.
Earlier this year, when Hegseth ended mandatory vaccination, he referred to the policy as “overly broad and not rational.”
“Our new policy is simple: If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it; you should. But we will not force you,” Hegseth said.
The sources told ABC News that there is 40% flu vaccination rate among recruits at the San Antonio base since the mandate was lifted. Previously, the rate was nearly 100%.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told ABC News that the Defense Department recently granted exceptions to the policy for the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Security Agency (NSA) and Defense Health Agency (DHA) through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
“The decisions were based upon thorough risk assessments and are designed to maximize operational readiness, lethality, and force generation, while safeguarding at-risk populations,” Parnell said. “The Army, Navy, Air Force, NSA, and DHA are responsible for implementing the [exceptions to the policy]. The Department remains committed to the health and readiness of our warfighters and civilian personnel.”
The annual flu vaccine is currently recommended to everyone over 6 months old between September and the start of November. Although the typical flu season ends by February or March, people can become infected at any time.
People who travel internationally or live in group settings are at higher risk of transmitting and acquiring infectious diseases.
Public health specialists have warned that military members may suffer unnecessary complications from the flu after the vaccination mandate was ended and fear that severe cases will continue to climb in subsequent flu seasons if preventive vaccinations aren’t given to those most at risk.
Evidence has shown that young recruits are much more vulnerable to severe infection from influenza compared to other service members, though lower than the general population due to the military having historically high immunization rates.
A study published last year by the Defense Health Agency found that from the 2010-2011 to the 2023-2024 flu seasons, the highest rate of influenza hospitalizations among active service members were among those under the age of 25, especially young recruits.
The flu vaccine has been required for the military since 1945, at the end of World War II, partly tied to the threat of biological warfare use by rival nations and as well as the devastation that the flu pandemic of 1918-1920 wreaked on U.S. troops, according to a 2022 analysis from Wright State University in Ohio and the U.S. Air Force.
It’s estimated that between 20% and 40% of Army and Navy personnel fell ill, with more than 26,000 deaths among U.S. soldiers during the 1918-1920 flu pandemic.
After researchers noticed the effectiveness of the vaccine fading, the mandate was withdrawn in 1949. This was later found to be caused by abrupt and major changes to the flu virus — and the mandate was reinstated in the early 1950s after the changes became “clearer and combatable,” according to the analysis.
Compliance among military health care personnel has exceeded 95% in past years, compared to less than 75% among civilian health care personnel.
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a unicellular parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. (CDC)
(NEW YORK) — Multiple states are reporting an increase in cyclosporiasis cases, an intestinal infection caused by a parasite.
Health officials in Michigan have reported more than 1,200 cases and, in neighboring Ohio, cases have topped 170.
Here’s what you need to know about the infection, including how it spreads, how it’s diagnosed and how to treat it.
What is Cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, also known as Cyclospora, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The infection affects the small intestine and can cause watery diarrhea with sometimes “explosive” bowel movements, according to the federal health agency.
Other symptoms can include cramping, bloating, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting.
The agency further said it takes about one week from the time of infection to become symptomatic, but that time can range from two days to two weeks.
How it spreads
The parasite usually spreads through food or water contaminated with feces, according to the CDC.
Foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce, such as raspberries, basil, snow peas, mesclun lettuce and cilantro, according to the CDC.
How the infection is diagnosed
A healthcare provider will diagnose cyclosporiasis by testing stool samples, according to the CDC.
Patients may have to submit several stool samples on different days to detect the parasite because laboratory tests may have a hard time detecting Cyclospora.
The CDC says a patient’s healthcare provider will need to specifically request testing for the parasite.
How cyclosporiasis is treated
Cyclosporiasis is treated with the oral antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), commonly sold as Bactrim, Septra and Cotrim, and taken for 10 days, according to the CDC.
The CDC says most people with healthy immune systems will eventually recover without treatment, but if left untreated, patients may be sick for a few days to a month or longer.
How to prevent infection
It’s unclear exactly how Cyclospora contaminates food and water, according to the CDC.
The agency says people can prevent infection by thoroughly washing produce, cutting away bruised or damaged parts of fruits and vegetables, and refrigerating pre-prepared or pre-cut produce.
Additionally, the CDC recommends washing hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables.
