Michigan cyclosporiasis cases strain local disease investigators

More than 10,000 cyclosporiasis cases have been reported in Michigan this summer, including more than 900 in Washtenaw County since mid-June.

Public health nurse Linda Kim has spoken with more than 100 sickened residents as investigators try to identify possible food sources. The work often requires detailed interviews about restaurant meals, grocery purchases, receipts and food app records because Cyclospora symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear.

State health officials said federal public health grant cuts eliminated a contract that funded 123 full-time employees across 44 local health departments and also affected disease surveillance labs. Some funding was later restored after Michigan won a temporary restraining order, but Washtenaw County still scaled back some surveillance and outbreak response work.

Read the full story at npr.org.