Patient counts in two outbreaks being tracked by the FDA continue to increase.
In an outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+ the patient count has increased to 34 compared with the count of 31 posted two weeks ago. The Food and Drug Administration has not reported where patients live or their age ranges.
The FDA has not yet discovered the source of the Salmonella outbreak. The agency has begun on-site inspection and sample collection and analysis, but it has not reported what facility is being inspected or what is being tested.
In an outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis the FDA reports that the patient count has increased to 33, up from 28 patients two weeks ago. The agency has not said where the patients live or how old they are.
The FDA reports that it has begun traceback efforts but has not said what food or foods are being traced.
Larger Cyclospora outbreak
The ongoing outbreak from the Cyclospora parasite is separate from a multi-state outbreak that has sickened at least 210 people across 22 states. Public health officials have not yet determined the source of the parasite.
Federal, state and local public health officials are investigating the outbreak, according to a June 22 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have been tracking the outbreak since April 1. Additional infections could have started before that date.
Also, there are likely more than 210 people in the ongoing outbreak because of the lag time between when patients become ill and when confirmation testing can be completed and results filed with the CDC. Some sick people don’t seek medical attention, also impacting the outbreak count. The parasite is killed by using antibiotics. Specific tests are required to diagnose Cyclospora infections.
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