CDC declares cyclospora outbreak over

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the cyclospora outbreak over as of Friday, Sept. 11, with a majority of cases linked to Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico. Roughly 13,000 cases across 21 states were linked to Taylor Farms, mostly from mid-June to mid-July, reports Alice Callahan, Caroline Hopkins Legaspi and Christina Jewett for The New York Times. Two patients have died, with 570 hospitalized.

“In its announcement on Friday, the C.D.C. said that there is no longer a risk of people getting sick with cyclospora from Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce, and that fewer than two infections per day occurred in August, on average,” the authors write. “The C.D.C. generally deems a food-borne outbreak to be over when the agency determines that new illnesses are no longer being reported, and that the product causing the illness has been cleared from shelves.”

Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause weeks-long diarrhea; it can take up to two weeks after consuming the parasite to become ill. The last lettuce recall had a best-by date of Aug. 3, and it may take six weeks for the CDC to report a case after a patient becomes symptomatic.

The Food and Drug Administration is still investigating the root of cyclospora. “Last month, the agency sent inspectors to the Taylor Farms processing center and lettuce farms in northeastern Mexico,” the authors write. “In a letter to produce industry leaders on Friday, acting deputy commissioner for food at the F.D.A. Donald Prater urged companies to invest more in cyclospora prevention and to follow food safety regulations.”

Investigations into outbreaks not linked to Taylor Farms are ongoing. Four other sources comprise 231 cases. More than 16,000 total cases have been confirmed since May 1, 2026, compared to 2025’s 1,180 cases from May through August.