Connecticut health officials are urging people to thoroughly wash fresh produce after the state reported 23 cases of cyclosporiasis as of July 1. The parasitic illness spreads through eating contaminated food, according to doctors.

Cause and Symptoms

The Connecticut Department of Public Health said it has not been able to determine whether the cases are concentrated in one area and is working to trace any possible source. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 100 have been reported across the country. Doctors said one of the most common symptoms is severe gastrointestinal illness.

“It causes a very uncomfortable explosive diarrhea, as they call it, so they sometimes call it the explosive diarrhea illness,” Dr. Traci Marquis-Eydman, associate professor of family medicine at the Quinnipiac University School of Medicine, said.

Prevention and Treatment

State epidemiologist Dr. Lynn Sosa said health officials investigate each case to better understand how people may have been exposed. Doctors recommend washing produce thoroughly under cold running water, especially items such as mixed leafy greens and berries, to help remove potential parasites from the surface. They also urge people to wash their hands with soap before eating.

“It is absolutely the best way to reduce the introduction of this into your families,” Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, chief of infectious diseases at UConn Health Center, said. Doctors said cyclosporiasis is treatable if it is properly diagnosed.

“It is treatable with a fairly common antibiotic, but it’s important to make the diagnosis so that you can apply the right antibiotic,” Dieckhaus said.

Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.