Michigan residents have been advised to be alert about their health, as the state is undergoing an outbreak of explosive diarrhea linked to feces contamination of food and water. The cause is the illness cyclosporiasis, which is caused by the protozoan Cyclospora cayetanensis. ABC reports that in a typical year, Michigan sees around 50 cases per year of this illness. So far this year, 1,251 people have been impacted, with 200 cases reported just yesterday and 36 hospitalized, as per the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. This means there’s a 2,402% surge in cases so far this year, though it’s noted that better awareness and reporting may account for some of those numbers. “Frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.” While not everyone infected with cyclosporiasis will display symptoms, those that do will know about it. The CDC reports that this is an infection of the small intestine and “usually causes watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.” They say this can last for up to a month, and is typically encountered in tropical or subtropical regions where cyclosporiasis is endemic. Infectious disease physician, epidemiologist, and the chief medical executive for the state of Michigan, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, said she expects cases to rise: “There is a significant lag time between exposure to contaminated produce or contaminated materials and development of symptoms. So it can take a week, sometimes even two weeks between exposure and development of symptoms.” She also said her department’s theory is that the outbreak is connected to feces-contaminated produce, though as of writing, they’ve been unable to establish which produce is affected. Michigan isn’t the only state going through this either, with the CDC confirming that there have been 145 cases detected across 17 states since May 1. Global Bio Defense has noted that this outbreak has arisen after the Trump administration scaled back the FoodNet surveillance system, which tracks the spread of cyclosporiasis and other pathogens. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services warned people to be aware of their health and to take this seriously, saying in a statement to ABC News, “Anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness, such as sudden and ongoing diarrhea, should contact their health care provider and their local health department.” This is far from the only health crisis affecting Americans this year. Last week, the CDC warned of flesh-eating bacteria spreading along the Atlantic coast, along with a rise in cases of measles in South Carolina, and a rabies warning in Northern Arizona.