The CDC is warning of an increase in cyclosporiasis cases. Here’s what you need to know:
Cases of cyclosporiasis are increasing across the United States as authorities warn of contaminated produce and symptoms.
Galenn Sekulich started feeling nauseous on June 21st. She was greasy, her heart was racing, and she had no appetite for her favorite foods.
She brushed it off as anxiety and went to bed. At 2 a.m., the urge to vomit woke her from her sleep. Some anti-nausea medications helped control the vomiting, but the symptoms continued for several days. The 33-year-old felt dizzy and woke up in a pool of sweat. She couldn’t keep food down.
“Every time I tried to eat, I felt like I had to go to the bathroom or wanted to throw up,” Sekulich told USA TODAY, adding that she began to worry that she had stomach cancer. “Honestly, I panicked.”
After a trip to the emergency room, tests confirmed she had cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that is rapidly increasing nationwide.
Her cyclosporosis symptoms have been ‘long lasting’
Sekulich, who is based in Detroit, described the disease as a vicious combination of multiple illnesses.
“I felt COVID-19 fatigue because my body was so weak, but it also felt like the norovirus was never ending,” she explained, adding that more than two weeks after her illness began, she still struggles to eat anything other than toast.
For many people, cyclosporiasis can cause not only cramps, bloating, and a low-grade fever, but also frequent watery diarrhea and explosive bowel movements, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With other diseases, you start to get better, but with cysticercosis, it never ends, Sekulich explained.
“This situation is only going to drag on,” said the self-employed mother of three. “It’s really hard to be sick for two weeks…I can’t eat, I can’t stand up, and I feel so weak and tired.”
The disease also caused her to lose 10 pounds in just five days, she said.
And while people joke on social media that the disease causes rapid weight loss, Sekulich says it’s no laughing matter.
“It’s not healthy at all. It’s alarming,” she said.
To make matters worse, Sekurich is allergic to Bactrim, an antibiotic that is the main treatment option for cysticercosis.
After dealing with insurance and availability issues, she was finally able to get the medication she needed this week, thanks to someone who follows her on social media.
“I have the privilege of having a community of women on social media who support me,” she said. “What about those who don’t?”
The increase in the number of infected people is “eye-opening and worrying”
As she continues to recover, Sekurich’s experience has changed the way her family eats.
“We spent $30 on produce and then I found out and said to my son, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, we don’t eat any fruit,'” she laughs, adding that they are wary and stick to applesauce and canned fruit.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, cyclosporiasis is spread when people consume contaminated food or beverages, and the primary risk is posed by eating contaminated fresh food.
Despite spending an hour speaking with Michigan health officials, she still doesn’t know exactly what caused the infection. State health officials continue to investigate other increasing cases in the area.
But Sekulich suspects her culprit was a bagged grocery store salad or a restaurant salad. Only what she ate is different from a healthy baby.
“It’s surprising and alarming that something like this can happen,” she said. “1,200 people in Michigan are sick, and we still don’t know what’s causing it.”
