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Mexican health authorities reported on Wednesday that 33 cases of Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea and other symptoms, have been detected in the country. This parasite has reached record levels in the United States, where two deaths were reported this week as a result of the outbreak.
The cases were confirmed by the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (Cofepris) of Mexico, which indicated in a statement that it maintains active epidemiological surveillance of Cyclospora cayetanensis and is monitoring the 33 infections detected in different states.
Taco Bell resiente el brote de Cyclospora: caen sus ventas tras miles de contagios en Estados Unidos
The announcement comes a day after health authorities in the western state of Jalisco reported two infections with the parasite, which causes frequent bowel movements.
The parasite infects the intestines and spreads through feces. Specialists have identified that people become infected with the parasite by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to irrigation water contaminated with feces.
The report of the Mexican cases comes amid investigations underway in the United States regarding the origin of the outbreak, which has caused more than 25,000 confirmed cases.
Initially, lettuce from a Taylor Farms factory in Guanajuato, in central Mexico, was identified as a possible source of the outbreak, but an investigation by Cofepris ruled out the presence of the parasite at the Mexican plant.
Cofepris indicated that an investigation was also carried out at 16 hotels in the state of Quintana Roo, in the Mexican Caribbean, where samples of fruits, vegetables, and water were taken for specialized analysis following a report from United Kingdom health authorities about travelers who may have contracted Cyclospora during their stay on the Riviera Maya.
The field study in Quintana Roo—one of the gems of Mexican tourism that annually welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world—concluded on August 4, and laboratories are currently processing the collected samples, the statement noted.
Earlier this week, health authorities in the state of Michigan confirmed the deaths of two people due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, which became the first two confirmed deaths in the United States related to the parasite.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services indicated that both individuals had underlying health conditions that could have been affected by the intestinal disease and dehydration.
[Publicidad]