{"id":6319,"date":"2026-07-18T11:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6319"},"modified":"2026-07-18T11:03:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:03:56","slug":"north-carolina-health-officials-work-to-determine-causes-of-cyclosporiasis-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6319","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Health officials work to determine causes of cyclosporiasis cases"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) \u2014 Shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell is to blame for more than 1,600\u00a0cyclosporiasis\u00a0cases in five Midwestern states, according to the Centers for Disease Control.<\/p>\n

Read more The US and Iran have blown past red lines as they lurch back toward all-out war<\/a><\/p>\n

The fast-food giant said it\u2019s pulled the product from its supply chain as it works to replace it.<\/p>\n

This comes as other states, including North Carolina, continue to see cases of cyclosporiasis, a stomach bug caused by a parasite. North Carolina officials haven\u2019t determined any specific causes yet.<\/p>\n

At least 307 cases have been reported across the state, with Wake County reporting\u00a0270\u00a0of those.<\/p>\n

\u201cCyclospora is one of about 15 or so foodborne infections that are reportable by law to the state health department. So whenever we receive those reports, we do investigations,\u201d said Dr. Carl Williams, who works with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n

Dr. Williams supervises the foodborne and vector-borne disease investigation teams.<\/p>\n

Williams says they look into each reported case of cyclosporiasis, asking the affected patient where and what they\u2019ve eaten recently, getting details\u00a0on\u00a0specific ingredients. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have shared with the FDA the fact that certain herbs are appearing more frequently, just like they did last year and the year before,\u201d Dr. Williams explained.<\/p>\n

Williams said there\u2019s no indication that the cyclosporiasis cases in North Carolina are connected to the outbreak in the Midwest, where the CDC determined shredded lettuce at some Taco Bell locations was the\u00a0source.<\/p>\n

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As\u00a0for the cases in North Carolina and\u00a0others\u00a0across the country, \u201cI think that there\u2019s more than one. It\u2019s clear that there\u2019s multiple vehicles for transmission,\u201d said Dr. Williams.<\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis is caused by the parasite, cyclospora, which can be found in contaminated water and produce.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ellen Shumaker, Director of Outreach for NC State\u2019s Safe Plates Program, said a way to kill the parasite is to cook your food at least 158 degrees. <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause lettuce is typically not cooked afterwards before eating, that\u2019s where that\u2019s where illnesses are likely to occur with foods that aren\u2019t cooked,\u201d Dr. Shumaker said.<\/p>\n

Doctor Shumaker recommends people rinse their produce, cut away outer layers, and even scrub it.<\/p>\n

People can also choose whole produce instead of precut or bagged options.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you or someone in your family has a weakened immune system, you might consider, you know, you could consider avoiding raw, raw fruits, vegetables, herbs, things like that, and cooking them,\u201d said Dr. Shumaker.<\/p>\n

Again, health officials say there\u2019s no indication at the time of publication that any ingredient at Taco Bells in North Carolina are to blame for cases in the state.<\/p>\n

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CBS 17\u2019s\u00a0Mary Smith<\/strong>\u00a0is an Investigative Reporter focused on Digging Deeper and Getting Answers. If you have a story that needs investigating, send an email to Investigates@cbs17.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Read more 7 killed and more than 50 wounded in Ukrainian drone attack on Russian regions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This comes as other states, including North Carolina, continue to see cases of cyclosporiasis, a stomach bug caused by a parasite. North Carolina officials haven’t determined any specific causes yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNorth Carolina Health officials work to determine causes of cyclosporiasis cases - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6319\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"North Carolina Health officials work to determine causes of cyclosporiasis cases - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This comes as other states, including North Carolina, continue to see cases of cyclosporiasis, a stomach bug caused by a parasite. 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