Resources & Information

Cases of the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis are on the rise in North Carolina. To help the public stay up to date on the illness, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) has created a dashboard, updated weekly, that tracks case volume, hospitalizations, and breakdowns of case occurrences by county and age group.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite cyclospora. According to NC DHHS, you can protect yourself and others with these food safe handling practices:
• Wash your hands before handling food.
• Wash fruits and vegetables before eating, cutting or cooking, even if they are labeled as “pre-washed.”
• Wash your hands after washing produce that is commonly reported as sources of cyclospora, including parsley, cilantro and lettuce, before washing other produce.
• Don’t share surfaces or knives with other food items when preparing produce commonly reported as sources of cyclospora.