Michigan health officials report 2 deaths among cyclosporiasis cases

Two Michigan residents who had "significant underlying health conditions" have died after contracting cyclosporiasis, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday.

State officials have been providing nearly daily updates over the past few weeks on the cyclospora outbreak, which has sickened thousands of people.

Without going into further details, the health department said both cases involved people with significant underlying health conditions that may have been complicated by cyclosporiasis and dehydration.

"Cyclosporiasis is generally not a life-threatening illness. Death resulting from cyclosporiasis is uncommon in the United States," Michigan health officials said.

Despite the fatalities, medical experts say the deaths should not cause widespread alarm.

"There is really no reason for alarm," said Dr. Joel Kammeyer of Wayne State University. "Whereas we don't know the details, I have to say that I wasn't incredibly shocked to hear this news."

Kammeyer added that dehydration caused by the parasite can be especially dangerous for people with multiple health conditions.

"For patients that have multiple medical issues at one time, it may be the case that there might be the occasional patient that's poorly equipped to withstand the dehydration that cyclosporiasis can lead to," Kammeyer said.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it has counted 11,234 cases as of Aug. 3, up 461 from the 10,773 cases as of July 31. Tracking of an outbreak of the intestinal ailment began in Michigan on June 22.

Health officials say 193 of those Michigan residents have been hospitalized as of July 30.

The Michigan numbers are different from the CDC's tally. The CDC says its surveillance updates do not include probable cases, only laboratory-confirmed cases. The CDC works with state officials to update the counts as additional information becomes available.

Michigan normally sees around 50 cases of cyclosporiasis per year, according to MDHHS.

Michigan health officials report case numbers Monday through Friday. Hospital reports are updated once a week on Thursdays.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit in Ontario said it is urging its residents to take precautions when traveling to Michigan, given the significant increase in cases of cyclosporiasis.

As of July 31, Windsor-Essex has identified 24 cases of cyclosporiasis in 2026. In a typical year, the region averages only around three cases. "Local public health investigations have identified travel to Michigan as a common exposure among many recent cases," the county healt