New York City has had 273 confirmed cases of the notorious “explosive diarrhea” parasite since May 1, The Post has exclusively learned.
According to an NYC Health Department spokesperson, the city has seen an increase in cases of cyclosporiasis compared to previous years, with 301 people sickened so far for the entirety of 2026.
The number includes people who both have and have not recently traveled internationally.
The department is still investigating where and how the infected people may have been exposed, working in conjunction with the CDC, the FDA and other health departments, the spokesperson added.
The state of New York has also recorded an additional 125 cases since May 1, according to a state health department spokesperson. Just three weeks ago, the CDC reported fewer than 80 cases statewide over that same period.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by infection with the cyclospora parasite. Symptoms include severe cramping, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and watery, explosive diarrhea. While some who are infected never exhibit symptoms, others need to be hospitalized.
This infection is usually contracted during travel outside the United States, as a result of consuming food or water that’s been contaminated with feces. It is more common in tropical areas.
What’s been troubling about the recent outbreaks is that many of the infected people reported that they hadn’t traveled outside of the country, meaning they likely got sick from contaminated food here in the US.
What’s more, health officials have not yet been able to identify any particular source or sources of the parasite in US food — as opposed to infections in 2019 that were tied to cilantro imported from Mexico, or a 2018 outbreak linked to tainted McDonald’s salads.
Determining whether a patient indeed has cyclosporiasis can be difficult. It requires special lab tests looking specifically for cyclospora — which are not part of a standard stool test. It’s another reason it’s possible many cases are going undiagnosed.
All cases in New York City were confirmed with this specialized test.
Cases may rise higher still, with the end of summer still far away.
“While cases are reported year-round, there is some seasonality to cyclosporiasis with case counts often rising during the spring and summer months,” a spokesperson from the state’s Department of Health explained.
This week, Michigan reported a jaw-dropping 681 cases, making it by far the hardest-hit state. Texas is reporting 48 cases, and the parasite has shown up in 15 other states around the country as of mid-June.
In the last two years, there have been 500 to 700 cases in New York state. A state spokesperson said the current numbers are “on par” for this time of year.
In the past, cyclosporiasis outbreaks have been linked to raw produce that came into contact with fecal contamination. Officials are urging folks to carefully wash, and cook, whenever possible, foods like salad mix, cilantro and raspberries.
Officials believe the current cases are caused by contaminated food as well. Because the parasite takes one to two weeks outside the body to become infectious after passing into feces, it’s very unlikely to be passing from person to person.
“There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate cyclospora outbreak linking all cases,” the NY state official said. “Investigations to identify potential clusters and potential sources of illness are ongoing.”
While a cyclosporiasis infection can go away on its own, symptoms can last for a month or longer if not treated, increasing the risk of dehydration, especially in older adults, kids and people who are immunocompromised.
One woman spoke to The Post from the hospital about her experience battling the parasite.
“This is worse than like any flu I’ve ever gotten or anything, it’s just so…it’s miserable. I’m worn out from it. I really am,” Cristy Cooper, 51, said. She said she had “unbearable” diarrhea, and developed excessive gas, fatigue, acute vomiting, nausea and painful cramping. She even had a fever of 100.2 degrees.
Treatment is a course of antibiotics, typically trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, also known under the brand names Bactrim, Septra or Cotrim.
