Cyclospora parasite leaves Florida woman unable to move and 'shaking from dehydration'
A woman has shared her grim experience of cyclosporiasis after the parasitic infection left her unable to move and 'shaking from dehydration'.
In case you missed it, the stomach bug, which is caused by the cyclospora, is making headlines after thousands of people across the US fell ill.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 4,000 cases have now been recorded across 41 states.
One of those victims was Florida woman Nina Diaz, who was bedridden for days after catching the nasty illness.
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Speaking to CBS News, Diaz said her symptoms started with an intense stomach ache, which eventually got so bad she had to call a doctor to the house.
"From one second to the next, it just took over," she told the news outlet.
"When I was shaking from dehydration, I couldn't even move my body.
"I was in bed for days. I haven't even eaten. Like, nothing sits with me. So I had to get an IV to get something in my system so I could be hydrated."
Diaz suspects she caught the infection from a salad kit she bought, though it's still unconfirmed where she could have picked it up, as the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) continue to investigate the source of the outbreak.
"The parasite is living inside of me, and that's it," she told CBS.
The FDA issued an announcement over the weekend that they had identified the parasite in a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms in central Mexico.
However, upon review, they issued a follow-up statement to declare the results as a false-positive.
Nonetheless, the FDA has advised the public to avoid recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms as investigations continue.
In their own statement, Taylor Farms said that they were cooperating with the investigation and 'completed a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico'.
Their statement continued: "To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora."
Individuals who consume contaminated food or drink may experience symptoms such as 'explosive diarrhoea', nausea, stomach cramps, and fatigue.
If symptoms are left untreated, the infection can last for several weeks.
Speaking to press this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has insisted that the outbreak is 'under control' and rejected claims that federal cuts to health services might have slowed down investigations.
Ali Condon