HEALTH OFFICIALS DECLARE END TO LARGEST CYCLOSPORA OUTBREAK IN HISTORY

The Hill

 

Health officials declare end to largest cyclospora outbreak in history

by Nathaniel Weixel - 09/11/26 3:16 PM ET

 

The country’s largest outbreak of cyclosporiasis has ended, federal health officials said Friday.

 

The foodborne illness linked to contaminated lettuce sickened 12,883 people across 21 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with more than 500 people hospitalized. Two people died in Michigan, which was the hardest-hit state, though health authorities said they had “significant underlying health conditions.”

 

The lettuce, supplied by Taylor Farms in Mexico, is no longer available in stores or restaurants.

 

“At this time, there is no risk of people getting sick with cyclosporiasis from this source,” CDC wrote in the agency’s final update on the outbreak.

 

Once federal officials began linking the illnesses to Taylor Farms lettuce in mid-July, the company voluntarily recalled products from the market.

 

At the peak of the outbreak, before the recall, more than 1,000 infections occurred in a single day. Fewer than two infections per day on average occurred in August, CDC said. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most of the illnesses tied to the outbreak began before the Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce recall was announced July 17.

 

The CDC is still investigating several case clusters of the parasitic illness nationwide. Including the multistate outbreak, CDC has received reports of 19,595 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis acquired in the United States.

 

The FDA said it is continuing its investigation into the outbreak, including how the product became contaminated with cyclospora. Last month, the agency sent inspectors to the Taylor Farms processing center and lettuce farms in northeastern Mexico.

 

In a letter to industry leaders, FDA’s acting deputy commissioner for food, Donald Prater, urged companies to invest more in cyclospora prevention and to follow food safety regulations.

 

Cyclospora is a difficult parasite to track, and the incubation period of illness can take up to two weeks after food is consumed, meaning people would need to remember what they ate weeks earlier. Lettuce is also a highly perishable food, so by the time a potential source is identified, consumers have often either eaten or thrown away the affected product.

2 TIMOTHY IN A NUTSHELL (NEW TESTAMENT IN A NUTSHELL)

In this sermon, Pastor Aaron Vriesman provides an introduction to and overview of the apostle Paul's second letter to his spiritual son and willing servant Timothy. 

RADIO-RELATED STUFF: TUESDAY NIGHT CATCHES

Picked up CHFI Toronto with John Tesh.

Picked up WFIL Philadelphia with Robert Jeffers followed by a black preacher.

I like a lot of the songs 91x Belleville is playing lately. 

WHAT REALLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU FLUSH

New York Post

 

Horrifying study shows what really happens to the air when you flush — and toilet ‘loading’ matters

By Rachel Sacks

Published Sep. 9, 2026, 10:45 a.m. ET

 

An invisible danger lurks in your bathroom.

 

Bathroom hygiene often focuses on what you touch — wash your hands properly, clean your towels and bathmats often and consider investing in a bidet.

 

Recent research, though, has unveiled a horrifying threat that’s unleashed into the air every time you flush.

 

Researchers at Flinders University reviewed 22 previously published studies of aerosols released when a toilet is flushed.

 

When water rushes around the bowl, turbulence throws microscopic droplets up into the air that contain bacteria, viruses and other biological material, such as fecal matter, from the toilet water.

 

Some of the studies included in the review detected these particles more than five feet above the floor — within many people’s breathing zones — and found some even remain airborne for at least 20 seconds after a flush.

 

And more microbial “loading,” or higher levels of bacteria in the toilet water, meant more amounts of invisible bacterial spray in the air.

 

Every tenfold increase in microbial concentration in the water was linked to around 2.6 times asmuch bacteria the amount in the air.

 

Many of the particles ranged in size from 0.3 to 10 micrometers, with a majority under 3 micrometers, remaining small enough to stay airborne and potentially be inhaled.

 

The review also found that flushing energy, or the amount of water in the bowl that’s being flushed down, contributed to the presence of bacteria in the air, with an additional liter of water associated with roughly a 1.3-fold increase.

 

Previous studies have even made the invisible spray visible to demonstrate just how far it can reach.

 

A 2022 study from the University of Colorado used a laser exhibit to create a visual representation of a commercial toilet launching aerosols to a height of about 1.5 meters in a matter of eight seconds.

 

However, closing the lid may not make too much of a difference.

 

A 2024 study in the American Journal of Infection Control found that although putting the lid down before flushing trapped larger particles, it did nothing for more microscopic ones, allowing them to escape through gaps between the lid, seat and bowl.

 

The more recent review also found limited evidence that the lid position made a difference in the air plume.

 

Researchers still recommend closing the lid as a precautionary measure to help somewhat prevent toilet “loading” from ending up in the air.

 

Additionally, regular toilet cleaning, handwashing and using the lower-volume option on dual-flush toilets can reduce the spread of germs.

 

While these are all feasible in a private home bathroom, the flush plume is concerning in public restrooms, with further research needed to develop interventions to reduce toilet-generated aerosols.

 

AH: This is why it's crucial for people to boost their immune systems. 

HANK WILLIAMS-FROM JERUSALEM TO JERICHO

Great song. Too bad Hank Williams never lived out the faith. 

RADIO-RELATED STUFF: MONDAY NIGHT DX CATCHES

Picked up K-Love Buffalo faintly last night.

Picked up WFUF-FM Rochester with "Country Nights."

Picked up B 104.7 Syracuse with Boxer and country music last night and tonight. Tonight I stayed tuned and caught the first several minutes of "After Midnight", playing two of the same records Boxer had just spun. 

NATURE NOTES: TINY FLYING THINGS AND MORE (WRITTEN LATE SUNDAY NIGHT)

Holy moley, there's a lot of dew tonight!

Not very many hummingbirds this year.

Lots of bees around right now.

Have heard coyotes several nights recently.