North Carolina is once again dealing with a rise in Cyclospora cases, a microscopic parasite known for unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms, including “explosive diarrhea.” Cyclospora spreads when someone eats or drinks something contaminated with feces.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services officials confirm to WRAL there have been 69 reports of cyclosporiasis since early June, as of July 2, 2026. The majority of North Carolina’s reported cases have come from Wake County, the state’s most populous county.

The increase comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigates more than 140 cyclosporiasis cases across 17 states, including at least 20 hospitalizations. The CDC’s investigation revolves around individuals who first got sick between May 1 to July 16, 2026. North Carolina is among the states reporting cases, though no hospitalizations have been reported. 

At this time, health officials are not sure what may be causing the current rise in cases nationwide, and if they are all being caused by the same product(s).

Dr. Carl Williams, State Public Health Veterinarian for NCDHHS, said North Carolina’s cases do not currently meet the criteria to be considered an outbreak.

“We’ve had cases among all age ranges, including children and people over 65,” Williams told WRAL. “It is something that we would expect to pick up in June and July. It’s very likely that we will have more reports in the coming weeks.”

Cyclospora cases typically rise during summer months largely due to the fact that the parasite is often found in fresh fruits and vegetables that are many times consumed raw. 

Williams explained that identifying the source of an outbreak can take weeks or even months because symptoms often don’t appear until 2-14 days after someone eats contaminated food. By then, many people struggle to remember exactly what they ate. “Foodborne disease investigations are complicated in general because you have to rely on interviews with the case patients to get their food history,” Williams said. “If you wait too long, you tend to get food preferences as opposed to the specific history.” 

The investigation is made even more difficult because cyclospora has historically been linked to ingredients like cilantro and parsley that are often mixed into meals and easily forgotten. 

That’s exactly what investigators faced during North Carolina’s largest recent cyclospora outbreak. WRAL investigated a 2024 outbreak of more than 130 cases tied to at least three Wake County restaurants. Health officials reported months later after speaking with several patients that the outbreak was due to a shrimp and parsley salad.

Following the 2024 outbreak, NCDHHS strengthened its investigation process by creating a working group with the Wake County Health Department, the CDC, the FDA and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The agencies now coordinate food history interviews, ingredient tracebacks and genetic testing to better identify links between cases. 

“We’ve been working with them for the past two years now… to facilitate a coordinated investigation to do food history collection, food trace back, and submission of clinical specimens to the CDC for genetic typing,” Williams added.

Williams said investigators interview patients and work backward to identify common ingredients. 

“What all the states and local health departments try to do is, through that ingredient-level analysis, identify what is most commonly found in these cases’ food history,” Williams explained. “Where did they eat? If it was at a restaurant, where did they purchase the cilantro from? That’s the reason we do this surveillance: to try and find that contaminated food product and remove it from circulation if possible. It’s just more challenging to find it.”

Another challenge is the short shelf life of fresh produce. By the time investigators identify a common ingredient among patients with cyclospora, the contaminated product may have already been discarded from the food supply. 

As investigators continue searching for a common source, health officials say the best defense is washing fresh produce thoroughly and seeking medical care if severe symptoms develop.

“If you can remember one number, it’s 165 degrees Fahrenheit,” Williams advised. “If you cook your food, 165 Fahrenheit is enough to get rid of Shiga toxin, E. coli in ground beef, Trichinella in pork, salmonella in chicken; That’ll take care of everything.”

Williams also advised people preparing food over the Fourth of July weekend to avoid the “temperature danger zone” between 40°F and 140°F, where bacteria can multiply rapidly. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, some bacteria can double in number in as little as 20 minutes within that temperature range.

Anyone experiencing severe diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms should contact a healthcare provider. Cyclospora is typically diagnosed through a stool sample, and Williams said testing helps public health officials identify infections and investigate potential outbreaks.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A Wake County renter says she feared eviction after learning the Wake County Housing Authority (WCHA) had not paid its portion of her rent for more than a year, despite her paying her share every month.

The woman, who asked ABC11 not to identify her, contacted ABC11Troubleshooter Diane Wilson after receiving notices from her apartment complex showing more than $8,300 in unpaid rent. She said to Wilson, “I was like, what in the world is going on here? I know I’m paying my rent. What is the issue?”

According to documents the renter shared with ABC11, WCHA had not paid its portion of her Housing Choice Voucher rent since February 2025. The renter added, “I was losing my mind, actually, because I was like, oh my God, they’re sending me a notice. What’s next? Eviction.” The renter says she repeatedly called and emailed her WCHA caseworker but received no resolution. After receiving another notice from her apartment complex that she now owed more than $10,000 in unpaid rent, she reached out to ABC11. She said to Wilson, “I’ve seen the stories you did, and I thought maybe you can help me.”

This isn’t the first time Troubleshooter Diane Wilson has investigated rent payment issues involving the Wake County Housing Authority. Last summer, ABC11 heard from both landlords and renters who said WCHA had failed to make rent payments.

At the time, the agency acknowledged owing approximately $1.9 million in back rent to landlords. One landlord, Damon Evans, told Wilson, “I just want my money. I’m providing a safe, affordable house for a tenant that’s a wonderful tenant and I just want to be paid.”

Following ABC11’s reporting, several landlords received overdue payments, and WCHA said it had reduced the amount of unpaid rent by more than $1 million. At the time, WCHA blamed the problems on employee turnover, issues involving housing vouchers transferred from other housing authorities, and cases where required HUD documentation and annual recertifications had not been submitted.

Regarding the most recent case Wilson heard about, after Wilson contacted WCHA’s executive director, the renter said she was able to schedule an in-person meeting with the agency. The renter said to Wilson, “If you hadn’t stepped in, they were going to continue to ignore me.”

She says WCHA employees apologized during the meeting.

“They were saying that this is unfortunate, and they’re here to help me,” she added.

WCHA told Wilson the payment issue stemmed from the housing authority where the renter’s voucher originally originated, saying that the agency had not made payments since September 2024. However, when Wilson contacted that agecy, officials gave a different explanation.

They said they did not reimburse WCHA because they did not receive the billing until nearly a year later. The executive director there said HUD rules require billing to be submitted within 90 days of the expiration of the initial voucher. When asked about the delay, WCHA said the tenant would remain housed, and her landlord would be paid. Although it took longer than initially promised, WCHA says it has now paid its portion of the renter’s back rent in full.

Wilson asked WCHA how much total back rent the agency still owes. The executive director did not answer that question.

Board chair responds

Instead, the Chair of the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the County of Wake, Yolanda Taylor, provided the following statement:

“As Chair of the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the County of Wake, I want people to know that we understand how serious this situation is. Behind every delayed housing assistance payment is a landlord waiting to be paid and, more importantly, a tenant or family worried about whether they will remain stably housed through no fault of their own.

I also think it is important for the public to understand that the current Board of Commissioners is a fairly new board. Most of us have served less than a year, and I myself only recently reached my one-year mark a few months ago. These issues did not begin with this board, nor did they begin this year or last year. Many of the financial challenges facing this agency date back years, even prior to 2020. Most of it is due to lack of adequate staffing and some technology issues.

What I do believe is that the Wake County Board of Commissioners intentionally appointed a strong and talented board to help stabilize this agency and strengthen oversight. Our board includes individuals with housing authority operational experience, compliance backgrounds, financial and banking expertise, asset management experience, community organizing leadership through OneWake, and fair housing experience, including service on Raleigh’s Fair Housing Hearing Board. As for me, before private practice, I worked at Legal Aid of North Carolina for 13 years and managed one of its offices for nearly eight years, so I understand both the legal and human side of housing instability.

One issue that has contributed to the backlog becoming systemic is the tremendous growth happening in Wake County and across North Carolina. Just as people with means are moving here from across the country, so are low-wealth families with housing vouchers. Our staff reported that we have been averaging approximately 100 incoming portability families per month. Keeping pace with that volume while dealing with staffing shortages, technology issues, delayed billing, and compliance challenges has been extremely difficult. That is not an excuse. It is still our responsibility to properly administer the program. But it does help explain how the backlog grew over time.

Another major strain involves the federal Housing Choice Voucher portability system. My understanding is that if a receiving housing authority does not timely bill the initial housing authority within the federal time frame – commonly referred to as the 120-day window – the receiving agency can effectively end up absorbing that voucher without reimbursement. For an agency already managing significant operational and financial pressures, that creates a very serious challenge.

One thing our new Executive Director Felts Lewis recognized early on was that we had to stop the leak in the ship before taking on more water. As a result, HUD granted the Housing Authority of Wake County a 90-day moratorium on incoming portabilities, so the agency can focus on stabilizing operations, addressing the backlog, improving billing practices, and serving the families and landlords already in our system. While the agency was able to identify a solution in this particular case to help prevent displacement, we recognize that the broader portability and reimbursement challenges facing the agency require long-term operational and financial solutions.

This Board is actively trying to move the agency from being reactionary to being proactive. Quite frankly, when issues hit the news, individual cases can receive more urgency and attention. But that is not how a housing authority should operate. Tenants should not have to go to the media to get action on serious housing issues.

We have been having hard and honest discussions with leadership. We have rolled up our sleeves and become a working board because the tenants who rely on this program deserve stability, and the landlords who trusted this program deserve to be paid. We understand that landlords also have mortgages, taxes, payroll, maintenance costs, and financial obligations of their own.

The Board has strengthened oversight, created committee structures focused on accountability and recovery, and is working closely with county leadership to help move this agency toward stability, compliance, and restored public trust.

The public deserves transparency. Tenants deserve stability. Landlords deserve timely payments. And this Board is committed to doing the work necessary to help this agency get where it needs to be.”

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