What started as a seasonal foodborne illness has grown into one of the largest outbreaks the U.S. has seen in years.
More than 11,500 cyclosporiasis cases have now been reported across dozens of states, thousands of people have been sickened and hundreds have been hospitalized.
Federal investigators say shredded iceberg lettuce is still the leading suspect in the largest cluster even after an FDA lab test that appeared to find the parasite was later determined to be a false positive.
So how can both of those things be true? What makes this parasite so difficult to track, test for and stop? And what should people know about their own risk?
Dr. David Pate, the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and the author of the book "Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak," joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
