CDC reports nationwide cyclosporiasis increase; no current local counts in state tables

A nationwide rise in cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a parasite that spreads through contaminated food, had reached 1,645 laboratory-confirmed cases acquired inside the United States across 34 states as of July 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The increase falls within the May-through-August stretch that Texas health officials treat as the illness's peak season, and current 2026 county-level counts for Cooke, Grayson, Fannin and Lamar counties were not available in the Texas Department of State Health Services' public data tables.

Within that confirmed total, the CDC recorded 141 hospitalizations and no deaths, and it said more than 5,100 further reports were still waiting to be confirmed. Federal investigators are working several outbreaks at the same time, according to the agency, and the national figure blends cases traced back to a shared source with others that have not yet been linked to one.

One of those investigations concerns shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell. The CDC's advisory on it covers restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Texas is not among the states named.

The Texas Department of State Health Services says Cyclospora spreads mainly through raw or undercooked food and does not appear to pass directly from one person to another. DSHS says routine washing or sanitizing may not eliminate the parasite from produce.

State rules require a confirmed cyclosporiasis case to be reported to the appropriate local health department within one week, so any local count would move through county or regional channels rather than a city agenda or a court filing. The office responsible varies by county. Grayson County reports through the Grayson County Health Department. Fannin and Cooke counties fall under Texas DSHS Public Health Region 2/3. Lamar County reports through the Paris-Lamar County Health Department.

The newsroom did not locate a public primary source confirming current 2026 case counts for the four counties. The state's public Cyclospora data page carries historical statewide figures and a table for more populous counties, not current numbers for this area. A resident looking for a local case count would need to check with the county and regional health offices rather than the state's online tables.

Cyclosporiasis has appeared in Texas in past summers. From 2018 through 2022, the state logged an average of 579 cases a year, with a high of 1,039 in 2019 and a low of 312 in 2021. Those totals reflect statewide reporting rather than any single county.