fruits & vegatables

Fruit and vegetable parasite
sickens eight in Dallas County
Posted: Jul 16, 2013 12:14 PM
Updated: Jul 16, 2013 4:59 PM
By: Mark Norris - email
Dallas County health officials confirmed
Tuesday eight people have been sickened by
the cyclospora parasite tied to contaminated
fruits, vegetables.
Officials do not know the source of the
infections at this time.
More than 100 people have been sickened by
cyclospora in Iowa and Nebraska since the
start of July.
Symptoms of cyclosopriasis include diarrhea,
loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping,
bloating, gas, nausea and fatigue. The intestinal
problems can last up to two months.
The parasite is passed through fecal matter and
gets onto the skin of imported fruits and
vegetables.
Officials recommend people wash fruits and
vegetables thoroughly and cook the items
properly, when appropriate.
Most notably, there have been just 12 cases in
the last 12 years in Dallas County until this
recent outbreak.