Explosive diarrhea: Everything you don’t want to know about this new disease

As if wars in Ukraine and Iran, the fast-emerging unknown world of artificial intelligence, global warming, nuclear threats, computer hacking, worldwide hunger, and political divisiveness in our own country were not enough to worry about, now we can add to those“explosive diarrhea.”

If only that were a joke.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have not heard already, we can now add this to the list of all of our growing concerns.  

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The disease is called cyclosporiasis. This is an illness involving parasites that attach to the small intestine and can make the infected individual quite sick.

Cases are growing here in this country, with over 4,000 reported in 30 different states, and the number seems to be growing, according to NBC News. Of note, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the disease is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person.

Where does the illness come from? 

Experts’ best guess is that the produce section, from fruits and vegetables coming from other countries, has been washed or grown in contaminated water. Among the most common items listed as culprits are cilantro, basil, bagged lettuce, raspberries, and snow peas, Fox 2 KTVU reported.

But it is still early in the “diagnosis period.” More information is becoming available as the illness spreads. 

One of the biggest problems is figuring out exactly what caused the sickness, because symptoms don’t start until sometimes as much as two weeks after eating the contaminated food. Asking folks who got sick to remember what they ate that far back becomes a challenge and has led to the difficulty in defining exactly which foods were contaminated.

Symptoms of the disease? 

As mentioned in our unfortunate headline to this article, explosive diarrhea is one. Other symptoms are watery stool, abdominal pain, nausea, weight loss, fatigue, and dehydration.

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Ways to limit risks? 

Of course, washing and rinsing fruits and vegetables helps. Better yet is to wash and even soak them in a solution of three parts water to one part vinegar. Scraping and cutting off any bruised or brown areas also helps.

Hopefully, as word gets out about prevention, the illness can be kept under control. But right now, the CDC and other organizations involved in disease prevention are concerned and definitely keeping tabs.

More to come, and we here at Chicago Star will keep an eye out for any new developments.