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FDA traces nearly 13,000-person outbreak to Mexican lettuce farm

Nearly 13,000 people were infected in a cyclospora outbreak linked to a lettuce farm in Guanajuato, Mexico. The FDA identified the contaminated source, and the CDC declared the outbreak over after investigation and corrective measures.

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The essentials

13,000-person cyclospora outbreak traced to Mexican farm and declared resolved.

Nearly 13,000 people across the United States were infected during the cyclospora outbreak of 2024. Investigations by the FDA identified a lettuce farm in Guanajuato, Mexico as the source of the contamination.

Cyclospora, a parasitic infection transmitted through contaminated food, caused illness across multiple U.S. states. The identification of the specific farm location marked a critical step in containing the spread. The outbreak prompted coordinated responses between U.S. and Mexican health authorities to trace the contamination pathway.

The CDC subsequently declared an end to the outbreak, indicating that transmission had ceased and no new cases linked to this source were emerging. The resolution followed epidemiological investigation and implementation of food safety measures at the implicated facility.

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Investigation

FDA pinpoints Mexican farm as outbreak origin

The FDA's detection of cyclospora at a Guanajuato lettuce farm directly connected the contamination source to the 13,000 U.S. infections. This epidemiological breakthrough enabled targeted investigation and identified the specific production location responsible for the contaminated produce entering the U.S. food supply.

Resolution

CDC confirms outbreak containment after source identification

Following identification of the contaminated farm, the CDC declared the outbreak ended, indicating transmission had stopped. The outbreak's resolution demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid source identification and coordinated response protocols in halting continued infection spread.