The label says “washed and ready to eat.” Wash it anyway. A Cyclospora outbreak (aka explosive diarrhea) has been spreading across more than 30 states since May, and the US food supply has a parasite problem that’s getting harder to ignore.Michigan has taken the worst of it, with over 3,300 cases reported and 44 hospitalizations as of this week, according to state health officials. Ohio has logged over 1,100. Combined, the two states alone represent one of the worst years on record for the infection, which causes frequent, watery, and sometimes explosive diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research told CIDRAP that public health communication has been painfully slow. “We’re so late to the game to get information out to the public,” he said. “By the time we get any recommendations for reducing risk, the outbreak’s over.”The source hasn’t been conclusively confirmed, but Michigan officials have pointed to lettuce and salad greens as the most likely culprit. Epidemiologist Marisa Donnelly, writing for Your Local Epidemiologist, said she’s skipping bagged and boxed salads at grocery stores and restaurants entirely for now. “I’m still sticking to produce that can be peeled or vegetables with smooth surfaces, like cucumbers, until more data comes in,” she wrote. Bagged salad is a recurring vehicle for outbreaks like this because it’s eaten raw and passes through multiple handling stages before reaching a kitchen. Gastroenterologist Vincent Ho made the point during a separate E. coli outbreak in Australia: many bagged salads are marketed as “washed and ready to eat.” He said wash them anyway.How to Stay Safe From the Foodborne Parasite Causing Explosive Diarrhea Across the U.S.Cyclospora has the spotlight right now, but a new WHO report in The Lancet published this week found foodborne parasites cost the world nearly 4.9 million healthy life years in 2021. The pork tapeworm ranked as the biggest offender globally, spread through raw or undercooked pork and contaminated vegetables. Cook pork thoroughly—or freeze it at 14°F for five days. Toxoplasma gondii, which travels mainly through cat feces, infects a large share of the global population without most people ever knowing. Healthy adults usually have nothing to worry about. Pregnant women and immunocompromised people are in a different situation and should avoid cat litter handling altogether.The practical guidance across all of these is less complicated than the outbreak news makes it sound. Wash all produce under running water, even if you plan to peel it. Scrub firm fruits and vegetables with a produce brush. Cut away damaged areas before eating. Cook food to 158°F when possible, since heat kills Cyclospora. Buy whole heads of lettuce over pre-bagged, toss the outer layers, and wash what’s left. And wash your hands with soap and water, not hand sanitizer, before and after handling food. Alcohol-based sanitizers, per the WHO, aren’t nearly as effective against parasites.The bag says it’s clean. It probably isn’t.The post How to Stay Safe During the Cyclospora Outbreak, According to Experts appeared first on VICE.