Arizona health officials report 19 cyclosporiasis cases amid national outbreak

Amid a national outbreak of a gastrointestinal infection that causes explosive diarrhea, Arizona health officials have reported 19 cases in the state so far this year.

Dr. Joel Terriquez with the Arizona Department of Health Services said each year there are new cases of cyclosporiasis, an infection that occurs when someone ingests food or water contaminated with the cyclospora parasite.

“As of 2025, we in Arizona had a total of 50 cases of cyclospora infection, so we are familiar with this parasitic disease,” Terriquez told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

How bad is the 2026 cyclosporiasis outbreak, and how is Arizona affected?

As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received 1,645 confirmed U.S. reports of cyclosporiasis since May, with another 5,100 cases under investigation. If many of those suspected cases are confirmed, this year’s outbreak could surpass the nation’s previous record of more than 4,700 cyclosporiasis infections, set in 2019.

“Obviously, now that there has been a lot of media associated with the outbreak in other states … providers are paying more attention,” Terriquez said. “The community, in general, is thinking about it and looking for it.”

Although the CDC is referring to the national uptick in cyclosporiasis as an outbreak, Terriquez said that term doesn’t reflect the situation in Arizona.

“We know that there’s an outbreak out of state. There has been some notifications of what products we need to be looking after, that we need to be monitoring closely, what we need to be washing, and as of now we have no proof that the number of cases that we have seen in Arizona have any association whatsoever with that specific outbreak,” he explained.

There have been no deaths in the nationwide outbreak.

What’s causing the 2026 cyclosporiasis outbreak?

The CDC has not yet pinpointed the cause of the nationwide rise in cases. According to John Hopkins Medicine, past outbreaks have been linked to leafy greens, bagged salads, fruits and vegetables.

Terriquez said there are a few risk factors, such as traveling through tropic regions and eating imported fresh produce that hasn’t been washed properly. However, there are no pinpointed foods Arizonans need to avoid.

“From the perspective of public health, as of today, there’s really no restrictions,” Terriquez said. “Department of Health continues working with a lot of the jurisdictions and providers providing education, providing information, making sure that they are aware of what’s out there (and) communicating directly with CDC.”

How to make sure you don’t get sick with cyclosporiasis

He said people should wash all fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water and make sure peeled, cooked or refrigerated foods are stored at the temperatures recommended on the packaging.

However, washing along may not be enough, according to the CDC, which notes that the parasite is resistant to standard chlorine-based sanitizers. The agency suggests scrubbing firm produce with a clean vegetable brush and cooking vegetables to at least 158 degrees.

Although cyclospora is most commonly linked to contaminated produce, Terriquez said some people have asked whether children could be exposed while playing at water parks during the summer. He said that risk is much lower because cyclospora typically has a longer incubation period, though other parasites may spread or cause symptoms more quickly.

“If we must be concerned about a specific risk factor for cyclospora, it would be not washing our products appropriately,” he said.

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