Doctor explains how to know if you have normal stomach bug or 'exploding Diarrhea' parasite outbreak that is hard to detect
Doctors have revealed how to make sure your stomach bug hasn’t got anything to do with the escalating outbreak of cyclosporiasis.
US health officials have linked the stomach bug that causes weeks of severe diarrhea to a possible contamination of lettuce.
The public have been urged to stop eating lettuce from certain Taco Bell restaurants while they work to figure out the origin of the stomach bug, which can spread through contaminated food or water.
“Do not eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia,” the Food and Drug Administration said in an alert Friday, as nearly 7,000 people have reportedly been sickened with cyclosporiasis.
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No deaths have been reported.
Difference between stomach bug and cyclosporiasis
Lyndsie Watkins, a physician assistant at Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, told CBS New York that a stomach bug usually goes away within 24 to 48 hours.
“So this does come with similar symptoms to other stomach bugs. So you can see profuse watery diarrhea, bloating, abdominal cramping, sometimes some nausea and fatigue,” Watkins said.
“But more often than not with other gastroenteritis, it should resolve within a couple of days.
“Cyclosporiasis, unfortunately, can persist longer than that. So especially if you're having symptoms more than seven days, you should absolutely get checked out.”
How to steer clear of cyclosporiasis
If fruits and veg are an important part of your diet, which they should be, Watkins says it’s all about how you cook, prepare and pick your food.
“So the best thing to do is to make sure that we're being careful about our vegetables and fruits right now, which is hard this time of year because there's so much great fresh produce in the summertime,” she explained.
“Making sure that we're really washing everything well. Cooking is going to be the safest thing to do if you can cook it. The heat can really kill off that parasite.
“Freezing, unfortunately, does not do as good of a job. So cooking, washing, peeling things that you can, and avoiding the high-risk things like leafy greens, fresh herbs, or those berries that have all those nooks and crannies that are really hard to wash.”
Cyclospora, unlike most viral stomach bugs, is treatable with prescription antibiotics.
A primary care physician is often the best point of contact for seeking a diagnosis, according to Dr. Kenneth Perry, an emergency physician based in South Carolina.
“The emergency department is the appropriate setting for treating downstream symptoms, such as nausea, diarrhea and dehydration,” Perry told Fox News Digital.
Taco Bell statement
Taco Bell Corp said in a statement: "Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states.
"The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.
"While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests.
"Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same."
LADbible has approached Taylor Farms, the FDA and CDC for comment.
Anish Vij