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INTERVIEW: America's diarrhoea dilemma turns deadly

A field of farmworkers harvesting lettuce (Reuters).jpg
A field of farmworkers harvesting lettuce Source: Reuters

A widespread cyclosporiasis outbreak - which causes explosive diarrhoea - has grown into the largest on record in the United States and this week caused its first known deaths. Medical experts are warning that recent regulatory rollbacks have contributed to the infection's historic scale. The outbreak—now spanning at least nine states—has been sourced to iceberg lettuce from privately held Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico and served at Taco Bell restaurants. Cyclosporiasis, caused by an intestinal parasite, is generally not life-threatening, and the people who died had significant underlying health conditions that were exacerbated by severe dehydration. Gastroenterologist Dr Rabia De Latour is from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and spoke to the Associated Press


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A widespread cyclosporiasis outbreak - which causes explosive diarrhoea - has grown into the largest on record in the United States and this week caused its first known deaths. Medical experts are warning that recent regulatory rollbacks have contributed to the infection's historic scale. The outbreak—now spanning at least nine states—has been sourced to iceberg lettuce from privately held Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico and served at Taco Bell restaurants. Cyclosporiasis, caused by an intestinal parasite, is generally not life-threatening, and the people who died had significant underlying health conditions that were exacerbated by severe dehydration. Gastroenterologist Dr Rabia De Latour is from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and spoke to the Associated Press


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