Baltimore health officials confirm cyclosporiasis case amid statewide rise
A Baltimore urgent care diagnosed cyclosporiasis as Maryland logged 32 cases statewide, with 28 since May 1 and no single outbreak tied yet.
A cyclosporiasis case was diagnosed July 8 at a MedStar Health urgent care facility in Baltimore, adding to a Maryland summer rise that has reached 32 cases statewide, including 28 since May 1.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite spread through contaminated food or water rather than person-to-person contact. Symptoms can begin about a week after exposure, but they may take as little as two days or as long as two weeks to appear. Anyone with persistent or severe diarrhea should seek medical care and ask specifically for Cyclospora testing, since many laboratories do not routinely check stool samples for it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received reports of 145 cyclosporiasis cases in 17 states from May 1 through June 16, 2026. There is still no evidence of one single multistate outbreak linking all of those infections, and cyclosporiasis season runs from May 1 through August 31.
Cyclosporiasis has been reported in humans since 1979, and large outbreaks have been reported since 1996. Many of the historical outbreaks were linked to contaminated raspberries imported from another country, but officials have not named a specific food source for the current cases. Rinsing produce can help, but it may not fully remove the parasite if food has been contaminated.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
