The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) issued a public health notice August 11, saying they were working with federal and provincial health officials in investigating the source of the Cyclospora contamination, adding that “imported fresh produce products are currently items of interesting in the ongoing investigation.”
To date, 51 cases of Cyclospora infection have been reported in Canada between May and July of this year. A case breakdown includes British Columbia (1), Alberta (2), Ontario (44), and Quebec (4). One person has been hospitalized. The majority of the illnesses affected males (51 percent) with an average age of 49, reports CBC Canada.
Although the PHAC notice states health officials are investigating a “locally-acquired” outbreak of the parasite, PHAC also says, “to date, no multi-jurisdictional outbreaks of Cyclospora have been linked to produce grown in Canada.”
Previous food-borne outbreaks of Cyclospora infections in the U.S. and Canada have been linked to imported produce, such as cilantro, basil, raspberries, blackberries, pre-packaged salad mixes and snap and snow peas. There seems to be an increase in Cyclospora illnesses during the spring and summer months, says PHAC.
In 2015, PHAC reported 83 cases of Cyclospora infections, according to Food Safety News. That outbreak sickened people in British Columbia (3), Alberta (1), Ontario (74), and Quebec (5). Two people were hospitalized, and no deaths were reported.
In the U.S., in August of 2015, 384 cases of Cyclospora infection were reported in 26 states. Cilantro imported from Mexico was identified as the source of the outbreak. This year, on August 5, Digital Journal reported on a Cyclospora outbreak in Texas that has already sickened 72 people.