DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two U.S. agencies say more than 380 people in 26 states have been diagnosed with a stomach illness tied to Mexican cilantro contaminated by human waste.
It’s the fourth consecutive summer in which the intestinal infection has been reported in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating the cause of the latest outbreak, which appears to have begun after May 1.
The FDA says preliminary results show cases in Texas and Wisconsin can be traced to cilantro from a region of Mexico. A partial ban on cilantro exports was enacted last week because investigators found unclean field conditions. The CDC says additional clusters of the illness have been identified in Georgia but declined to name the other affected states.