Sickness causing explosive diarrhea reportedly reaches 145 cases in North Carolina

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A sickness causing explosive diarrhea across the United States has been reported in North Carolina.

State health officials confirmed on Tuesday, July 7, that at least 145 cases of cyclosporiasis had been reported in North Carolina since May 1.

According to the state’s health website, cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite known as cyclospora. Sickness is often brought on by consuming food or water that is contaminated with the parasite.

The state’s website says it usually takes a week for symptoms to show up after consuming the contaminated food or water.

Among the symptoms are:

• Watery diarrhea with frequent, sometimes explosive bowel movements
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Stomach cramps/pain
• Bloating
• Increased gas
• Nausea
• Fatigue

Health officials said cyclospora is often associated with fresh herbs and produce that are served uncooked. They said because those items often go uncooked, it is imperative for them to be cleaned prior to eating.

According to the CDC, healthy people who contract cyclosporiasis usually recover without treatment but may have symptoms for a few days to a month or longer. In other cases, the sickness can be treated with antibiotics.

As of mid-June, the CDC reported cyclosporiasis cases in 17 states. At that point, no deaths had been reported.

Also Read: One US state is now reporting 700+ cases of ‘explosive’ diarrhea linked to parasite