Florida added nearly 100 cases of the foodborne parasitic infection cyclosporiasis in the most recent week of reporting data available by the state health department.
From July 18 to 25, the state recorded 97 cases. There have been 252 reports since June 1, around the time outbreaks of the disease were first reported in five Midwest states.
Since June, Miami-Dade County has reported 39 cases, most in the state, but only seven in the latest week of data. Orange added 15 cases during the more recent week, and Broward had 10.
The health department will update the numbers again on Thursday.
ALSO READ: Two people in Michigan have died after becoming ill with cyclosporiasis
The Florida update comes as health officials in Michigan, the center of the first outbreak, announced two deaths of people with cyclosporiasis. Both had underlying health conditions.
Health officials say cyclosporiasis is rarely deadly.
The illness is caused by Cyclospora, a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ALSO READ: What Cyclospora does inside the gut and how it gets there
The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the past, people were infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.
The CDC said it was aware of more than 18,000 confirmed or suspected cases in the current surge. But CDC numbers can lag state reports, which suggest the number is more than 20,000 nationwide.
Symptoms often take a few weeks to develop, which can also lead to reporting delays. In addition, undercounts are likely, according to infectious disease experts.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
