By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-28 21:05:51 | Updated at 2026-09-05 08:45:57
1 week ago
Federal health officials this week reported they are looking into a new cluster of Salmonella bacteria cases as authorities reported that more than a dozen active food-related outbreaks are ongoing.
In a Wednesday update posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website, the agency said an outbreak of Salmonella Newport has led to 84 cases so far.
The source of the outbreak has not been identified. The FDA did not provide a list of states where cases were reported and did not say whether anyone was hospitalized.
Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause serious infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and people with compromised immune systems, health officials say. Symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in rare cases, salmonella can infect the blood, joints, the nervous system, the brain, spinal fluid, and the urinary tract. Such complications can lead to death or hospitalization.
Thirteen food-related outbreaks are currently ongoing across the United States, according to the FDA tracking website.
A widely publicized outbreak of Cyclospora linked to lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms has continued to spread, according to the latest FDA update published on Wednesday.
Three additional states where cases have been reported have been added in the update: Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas, the FDA said. Now, 20 states have reported 11,458 cases of the parasite, it added.
“FDA’s onsite inspections and sampling at iceberg lettuce growers and the processing facility in Mexico in coordination with Mexican officials are ongoing,” the agency said. “FDA remains confident that all recalled iceberg lettuce related to this specific Cyclospora outbreak is off the market. FDA will continue to work with federal and state and international partners to investigate this multistate outbreak.”
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to health officials. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.
Earlier this week, the CDC reported that there have been about 29,000 confirmed or suspected Cyclospora cases in the United States this year. There have been 922 hospitalizations, according to the agency. Previously, the worst year in the United States for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally.
Also this week, the FDA and CDC declared that a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in four states that was linked to Clover Hill Dairy-made soft cheese is over. The outbreak started in June, infecting 15, hospitalizing 14, and leaving one person dead, the CDC said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
