Deadly Illness Linked To Lettuce Has Now Been Confirmed In Three More States

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the outbreak, which has been linked to hundreds of hospitalizations and two deaths since illnesses were first reported in July, has now been detected in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

There have now been 11,458 illnesses reported across 20 states, according to the FDA.

The FDA added the three new states to the outbreak list Thursday, one week after its previous update.

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Vegetables have been dangerous lately. Better off eating a candy bar.

—

TONY

(@Porkchop__2007) August 28, 2026

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Poisoned and contaminated vegetables and dog food from Mexico and Canada…gee, what a coincidence. Im sure @realDonaldTrump and TEAM 47 already know its nefarious behavior. They’ll get it fixed…MAKE AMERICA GREAT/SAFE/HEALTHY AGAIN

— Jonathan Kinsley (@jon_kinsley) August 28, 2026

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11,458 illnesses. 495 hospitalizations. 2 deaths.

And now 20 states are involved.

This is exactly why food-safety alerts shouldn’t be ignored.

— Joe Stiles (@Joelil412) August 28, 2026

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The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cyclospora cases are never linked to a specific food or other source.

Earlier this week, the CDC reported that there have been about 29,000 confirmed or suspected cyclospora cases in the U.S. this year. There have been 922 hospitalizations, according to the agency. Previously, the worst year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally.

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