Summer produce season is also cyclosporiasis season—and the latest national tally already shows how quickly domestic cyclosporiasis cases accumulate once May begins. The story is not a single recalled product. Instead, it is a surveillance signal that several clusters are under investigation while most illnesses still lack a shared food source.
As of June 16, 2026, the CDC reported 145 domestically acquired cyclosporiasis cases in people who became sick from May 1 through June 16. Cases came from 17 states. Twenty people were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. For the Health desk, the operational detail is how CDC frames the count: not one multistate outbreak tying every illness together.
What the cyclosporiasis cases numbers show
Among the 145 U.S.-acquired illnesses, ages ranged from 5 to 86 years, with a median of 42. About 61% of patients were female. The median illness onset date was May 13, 2026, with onsets spanning May 1 to June 6. CDC’s page, last reviewed July 1, 2026, stresses that these people ate food in the United States and did not report international travel in the 14 days before they got sick.
State distribution is uneven. New York sits in the highest reported band (31–80). Illinois and Texas fall in the 11–30 band. Most other reporting states show 1–10 cases each, including Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. CDC notes that true incidence is likely higher because some people recover without testing.
Why “no single outbreak” still matters
Local, state, and federal partners—including CDC and the FDA—are investigating several multistate clusters. Yet CDC says there is currently no evidence of one outbreak linking all 145 domestically acquired cyclosporiasis cases. The national figure mixes cluster-linked illnesses under traceback with cases that have not been tied to a common source.
That distinction matters for readers. A rising seasonal total can look like one food crisis when it is often several smaller investigations plus background illness. Produce-linked cyclosporiasis has a long U.S. pattern of spring–summer spikes. CDC defines the outbreak season as May 1 through August 31, and 2026’s season began on May 1.
Travel-associated illness is a separate ledger
CDC also tallied 45 cyclosporiasis cases in people who reported eating or drinking contaminated food or water while traveling outside the United States in the 14 days before illness. Those patients ranged from 17 to 89 years old (median 43); 62% were female. Three were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. Keeping domestic and travel-associated counts separate helps avoid overstating a single U.S. food pathway.
What to watch next
Three markers will clarify whether early-season cyclosporiasis cases stay fragmented or consolidate: (1) whether FDA traceback names a shared vehicle for any of the active clusters; (2) whether New York, Illinois, and Texas continue to lead state bands on CDC’s map; and (3) whether weekly domestic counts accelerate through July and August, when produce exposure typically peaks. Until then, the July 1 surveillance update is best read as a mid-season progress report—not a finished outbreak narrative.
Method note: Figures above come from CDC’s cyclosporiasis surveillance page as of the June 16, 2026 data cutoff (page reviewed July 1, 2026). Counts are preliminary and subject to change. This article does not provide medical advice.