Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference in Toluca, Mexico. File photo. EFE/Felipe Gutiérrez
Mexico City, July 24 (EFE) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that the Ministry of Health is conducting an epidemiological study to determine if any Mexican products are linked to the cyclosporiasis outbreak being investigated in the United States.
The president explained that the information released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has changed during the investigation. Initially, they pointed to Mexican products, then attributed the finding to a false positive, and now they are reconsidering that hypothesis.
“We are asking the Ministry of Health because there was an initial FDA investigation. First, they said it was Mexican lettuce or that it was exported from certain parts of Mexico to the United States. Then they said no, that the test they had done was a false positive, as they call it. And now they are revisiting this,” Sheinbaum stated during her press conference.
The president assured that her government will provide the available information once the analysis by Mexican health authorities progresses.
“An epidemiological study is underway to determine if there is indeed any connection to a Mexican product,” he stated.
These remarks come after the U.S. investigation into the outbreak’s origin expanded to nine states, with 11,573 possible cases of cyclosporiasis nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The U.S. agency reported that 1,947 people infected with the Cyclospora parasite had been exposed to Taco Bell restaurants in the affected areas.
The CDC cautioned that the actual number of cases could be higher and that the outbreak may not be limited to the states where cases have been confirmed, as health officials in nearly 40 states investigate potential infections.
U.S. federal authorities have linked the outbreak to iceberg lettuce grown in the Mexican state of Guanajuato and distributed by California-based Taylor Farms to restaurants such as Taco Bell.
However, Mexico’s Ministry of Health reported that tests conducted on lettuce from the Taylor Farms plant in Mexico were negative for the parasite.
Additionally, some U.S. state authorities are investigating different sources. In North Carolina, for example, local cases are apparently not linked to the Taco Bell outbreak, and cilantro and parsley are being analyzed as possible transmission vectors.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection that primarily causes severe and frequent diarrhea, as well as loss of appetite and weight, abdominal distension, nausea, fatigue, low-grade fever, and vomiting. It is usually associated with the consumption of contaminated fruits or vegetables and is not typically transmitted from person to person.
