August 3, 2026
Michigan has reported the first two deaths in a Cyclospora outbreak that has enveloped ten states and caused thousands of illnesses.
As of August 3, 2026, Michigan is reporting 11,234 total cases, including 193 hospitalizations. Not all of these cases are linked to the shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell and other consignees.
The two deaths involved individuals who had “…significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration,” according to information released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The CDC posted a brief notice acknowledging the deaths on its outbreak webpage earlier today while promising to “…update its website to include laboratory confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths.”
The federal agency has not updated its website since July 24, 2026 and still is showing only nine affected states, even though New Hampshire announced a related case cluster on July 23rd, and updated that announcement on July 28th to include additional cases. The 17 New Hampshire cases were associated with consumption of recalled lettuce at the Cheshire Medical Center cafeteria in Keene.
The outbreak that has been linked epidemiologically to iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico is only one of several currently under investigation by the CDC and the FDA. As of its most recent update posted on July 28, 2026, CDC acknowledged 6,707 laboratory-confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis and expressed awareness of more than 11,500 additional cases that are not laboratory confirmed or require further investigation and analysis.
The CDC is posting weekly updates on its Cyclosporiasis Surveillance page. The next one should arrive on August 4, 2026.
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