{"id":3391,"date":"2026-07-17T21:37:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3391"},"modified":"2026-07-17T21:37:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T21:37:02","slug":"nc-cyclosporiasis-cases-do-not-appear-to-be-linked-to-taco-bell-says-dhhs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3391","title":{"rendered":"NC cyclosporiasis cases do not appear to be linked to Taco Bell, says DHHS"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

North Carolina\u2019s cyclospora infections may not be associated with iceberg lettuce used by Taco Bell<\/a>, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more UCPS says viral video about Marvin Ridge American flag denial is a misunderstanding<\/a><\/p>\n

Produce supplier Taylor Farms is voluntarily removing lettuce sourced in Central Mexico from the American Market after the CDC and FDA tracing found the lettuce was tied to a five state cyclosporiasis outbreak.<\/a><\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic infection that causes prolonged and watery diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal restaurants and consumers are urged to be aware of commonly reported sources of cyclospora, including parsley, cilantro, and lettuce,\u201d NCDHHS wrote. \u201cRinsing and washing fresh fruits and vegetables may remove some of the parasite but does not guarantee it will be removed entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n

From May 1 to July 14, 307 cases of cyclosporiasis, leading to 13 hospitalizations, have been reported in North Carolina. The majority of the cases are in Wake County.<\/a> As of July 13, the CDC has identified that between 81 and 160 of these cases were acquired domestically.<\/a><\/p>\n

The CDC has said cyclosporiasis counts are nearly always undercounted, as people may not seek medical care, and if they do, may not be tested. State counts may exceed CDC counts as the CDC identifies whether each case was contracted in the United States.<\/p>\n

Commonly reported foods linked to cases in North Carolina include parsley, cilantro and lettuce, according to NCDHHS.<\/p>\n

Read more PHOTOS: Historic Excelsior Club gets demolished<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile this type of information can suggest which types of produce are more likely to be contaminated, it does not prove with certainty that any of these were the source of infection,\u201d NCDHHS wrote.<\/p>\n

North Carolina\u2019s cases now exceed those reported in 2024 and 2025. NCDHHS will release data on case numbers each Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Cyclospora may take up to two weeks to cause symptoms in infected people, which can make it difficult to identify a cause \u2013 people can\u2019t always identify all raw produce they have eaten.<\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis can be treated with a combination antibiotic, Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.<\/a> Most people recover without treatment. Patients who suspect cyclosporiasis should ask medical staff to test for it, as it is not routine.<\/a><\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 5:05 PM<\/span> with the headline “NC cyclosporiasis cases do not appear to be linked to Taco Bell, says DHHS.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Brother of legendary NASCAR driver sued for fraud over unfinished classic car<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NCDHHS alerts residents after 307 cyclospora cases and 13 hospitalizations in NC; rinse produce but testing and treatment may be needed for persistent symptoms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nNC cyclosporiasis cases do not appear to be linked to Taco Bell, says DHHS - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3391\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NC cyclosporiasis cases do not appear to be linked to Taco Bell, says DHHS - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NCDHHS alerts residents after 307 cyclospora cases and 13 hospitalizations in NC; rinse produce but testing and treatment may be needed for persistent symptoms.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3391\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T21:37:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"NC cyclosporiasis cases do not appear to be linked to Taco Bell, says DHHS\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T21:37:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391\"},\"wordCount\":470,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e598c09bf726e192b92f63d7702a5eee.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391\",\"name\":\"NC cyclosporiasis cases do not appear to be linked to Taco Bell, says DHHS - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e598c09bf726e192b92f63d7702a5eee.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T21:37:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3391#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e598c09bf726e192b92f63d7702a5eee.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e598c09bf726e192b92f63d7702a5eee.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"A microspopic views of Cyclospora cayetanensis in a sample. 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