Most of these persons—293 (59%) of 495—experienced onset of illness on or after May 1, 2015, and did not have a history of international travel within 2 weeks before illness onset. These 293 persons were from the following 23 states: Arkansas (3), California (2), Connecticut (3), Florida (10), Georgia (23), Illinois (8), Iowa (1), Kansas (2), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (10), Michigan (2), Missouri (1), Montana (3), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (6), New Mexico (2), New York (excluding NYC) (9), New York City (21), North Carolina (1), Texas (168), Utah (1), Virginia (3), Washington (2), and Wisconsin (10).
o Clusters of illness linked to restaurants or events have been identified in Texas, Wisconsin, and Georgia.
o Cluster investigations are ongoing in Texas and Georgia.
o Cluster investigations in Wisconsin and Texas have preliminarily identified cilantro as a suspect vehicle.
o Investigations are ongoing to identify specific food item(s) linked to the cases that are not part of the identified clusters.
According to Texas, its count is 243.
Canada counts 92.
Through preliminary traceback investigations, the FDA, the Texas Rapid Response Team, Texas Department of State Health Services, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection have found that cilantro from the state of Puebla, Mexico, was supplied to restaurants at which some of those who have become ill ate. The investigations are ongoing, and a conclusive vehicle for the contaminations has not been identified.
The CDC and state public health officials have identified annually recurring outbreaks (in 2013 and 2014) of cyclosporiasis in the United States which have been associated with fresh cilantro from the state of Puebla, Mexico. Although not confirmed by epidemiological means, the FDA reviewed a cluster of Cyclosporiasis illnesses from 2012 in which the state of Texas had previously identified cilantro as one of multiple possible suspect vehicles. The FDA determined that cilantro from the state of Puebla, Mexico, was supplied to the point of service implicated in that outbreak and was one potential source of the 2012 outbreak.
The FDA and the government of Mexico’s National Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality Service (SENASICA) and Federal Commission for the Protection from Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) are enhancing the safety of fresh cilantro with produce safety controls on both sides of the border.
The controls implemented by COFEPRIS and SENASICA incorporate a system for risk reduction, including export controls, for cilantro from the state of Puebla. On July 27, 2015, the FDA implemented a supportive framework of import controls to detain without physical examination shipments of fresh cilantro from the state of Puebla from April 1, 2015, through August 31, 2015, as well as this time period in ensuing years.
Contact the Marler Clark Cyclospora Attorneys
If you or a family member became ill with an Cyclospora infection after consuming contaminated food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, you can contact the Marler Clark Cyclospora attorneys for a free case evaluation. Marler Clark is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Cyclospora outbreaks and other foodborne illnesses. The law firm has represented thousands of victims of Cyclospora and other foodborne illness infections, and is the only firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.
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