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The Mexican government said on Tuesday that it is collaborating with US authorities to determine if the origin of the cyclospora outbreak, a parasite that causes diarrhea and other symptoms and has reached record levels in the United States, is in Mexican territory. So far, there is no evidence that this is the case.
Federal health officials stated on Monday that they remain focused on lettuce from a Taylor Farms factory in Guanajuato, in central Mexico, as the source of the outbreak, despite inaccurate test results that the US government released over the weekend.
"We have traveled to Guanajuato and have taken samples to conduct our own investigation in conjunction with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the United States," said the Mexican Secretary of Health, David Kershenobich, during the presidential morning press conference.
"So far, no evidence has been found to indicate that it comes from there. However, we are taking all precautions in case it were so," he added. He also said that there is no outbreak of that disease in Mexico, where only three cases have been detected, a figure that is within normal parameters.
The United States has been investigating an increase in cases of the parasite, initially linking the outbreak in five states to lettuce served at Taco Bell locations. Taylor Farms announced on Saturday that it would recall 25 shredded lettuce and salad products sold under eight different brand codes. The products are used by various food chains and suppliers in the United States.
"The FDA's traceback investigation and outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from the Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico," said Donald Prater, acting director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, on Monday.
[Publicidad]