A troubling parasitic outbreak known for causing intense “explosive diarrhea” has made its presence felt in California, joining a rapidly spreading health concern in the United States. Authorities caution that the official case numbers in the state likely only represent a small portion of the actual infections.

Recent state reports indicate a link between 1 and 10 cases in California and a larger outbreak affecting the state, as health officials continue their efforts to monitor its progress.

The true extent of the outbreak is elusive, as many individuals recover without seeking medical attention or undergoing testing. The detection of this parasite requires specialized lab tests, and confirmed infections can take up to six weeks to be officially reported, according to experts.

In California, most cases have been attributed to international travel rather than the expanding outbreak across several states.

Nationally, the outbreak has affected at least 2,944 individuals across 32 states, with Michigan experiencing the highest impact.

The state has reported 1,562 infections, roughly 31 times the approximately 50 cases it typically records in a year, and at least 44 people have been hospitalized.

Investigators are examining whether contaminated food is driving the spike, but they have not identified a specific produce item, supplier or grower responsible for the outbreak.

Cyclospora, the parasite behind the illness known as cyclosporiasis, is typically spread through food or water contaminated with feces.

Previous outbreaks have been traced to imported fresh produce, including raspberries, basil, snow peas, mesclun lettuce and cilantro.

According to the CDC, the illness can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.”

Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss.

Symptoms usually begin about one week after infection, although they can appear anywhere from two days to two weeks later, making it more difficult for investigators to determine where someone was exposed.

The CDC recommends treating cyclosporiasis with the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, commonly sold as Bactrim, Septra and Cotrim, over a 10-day course.

As investigators continue searching for the source of the outbreak, some Taco Bell restaurants have temporarily removed fresh ingredients from their menus as a precaution.

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Locations, including some in Metro Detroit, posted notices telling customers they were temporarily unable to serve lettuce, cilantro, onions, pico de gallo and guacamole because of a nationwide recall while health officials respond to the increase in cyclosporiasis cases.

Restaurants in outbreak hot spots, including Michigan and Ohio, have also pulled raw lettuce, onions, cilantro-onion mix, pico de gallo and guacamole from their menus.

However, neither the CDC nor the Food and Drug Administration has linked Taco Bell to any reported illnesses.

The fashion world received an honest revelation this week when supermodel Heidi Klum opened up about embracing her body in its current, fuller, and likely healthier form. For years, the industry incessantly labeled Klum as ‘too fat,’ yet now, like many celebrities her age, she acknowledges a reality often unspoken.

In a candid interview with US Weekly, Klum shared, ‘I’m no longer a size 24 jean. But I think with age, we look better when we’re not as skinny.’

Hearing Klum express these thoughts wasn’t just refreshing; it felt like a personal triumph for those who have long advocated for body positivity.

The memory takes me back to 1999, during my tenure as the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire magazine in the United Kingdom. I had just commissioned Klum for a cover story.

At the time, Klum was in her mid-twenties, epitomizing the ideal blend of thinness and beauty. However, when the contact sheet of our cover photos arrived, there was an unexpected tension.

Klum’s eyes, under the relentless glare of the camera in close-up, were surrounded by crow’s feet. Rather than looking glum like so many models of that era, when grunge and heroin-chic were all the rage, Klum had dared to laugh in most of the pics. Hence the lines around her eyes.

I assumed Klum wouldn’t be happy and so, fairly new to the job and not yet fearless, I contacted Klum’s ‘people’, offering to air brush Klum’s eyes to perfection.

To my surprise, Klum’s response, even during her sexy Victoria’s Secret stardom, was to leave her face as nature intended. No model or Hollywood star had ever said such a thing to me.

Sadly, I was over-ruled and forced to print the single pose where Klum looked moody, with the wrinkles around her eye sockets ironed out. She was understandably and commendably dismayed.

Today, this brave early champion of body positivity credits her husband, Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz, 36, whom she married in 2019, for encouraging her brazen  confidence. ‘He said, “You should eat more. You would look better if you had more meat on your bones.” He’s right! Proportion-wise, I look better bigger,’ the now 53-year-old Klum explained. (Agreed: ‘lollipop lady’ is never a good look.)

Despite Kaulitz’s clearly loving intent, the recovering anorexic in me cringes each time I hear about a woman changing her appearance and eating habits because a man tells her to. Anyone with an eating disorder knows that being chided to ‘just try a little’ harder can have the opposite effect on our appetite.

I grew up with parents, teachers, health workers and later a husband imploring an always slim me to eat three meals a day and snacks in between; yeah, like that’s ever going to happen! 

As Bridget Jones would say, ‘Bugger off!’

Looking at photos of Klum’s husband, who is handsome but could use a spa day, makes me want to tell him to please get a haircut and a shave!

Women, of course, should have complete autonomy over their bodies, eating only for their own happiness and health. And Klum has plenty to be happy about, including four children (three with her ex-husband, the pop star Seal) and a still booming career as a model and television host.

In an industry where sacrifice (body, mind, soul) so often trumps satisfaction, Klum’s contentment is very welcome news. Especially when fat jabs now make it so easy to be thin and quiet the food ‘noise’.

A perverse side effect of these new drugs is that to be deliciously Klum-curvy is to rebel against the thin-is-in trend. By showing that she won’t be swayed, won’t succumb to the pressure for the easy way out, Klum is helping every woman to love herself and her flaws – and hopefully form an anti-fat jab resistance in the process.

I’ve interviewed hundreds of female film stars and models over the years and, understandably, given it’s their job to look beautiful, they are almost always wracked with insecurities, which of course makes them entirely unsuitable to be role models.

One famous actress lied about her age and puffed up to the size of a balloon when I arrived to interview her years ago. Considering that I’d first met her when she was still a schoolgirl, she was terrified by the fact I knew her true vintage.

Another huge (tiny) star, who had been married to the world’s No.1 box-office draw, was so worryingly slim that she had to sneak chicken fillets down her bra while dressing for a cover shoot to give herself a bit of cleavage. And on and on.

No woman is perfect, and I applaud Klum for having the balls to say so. As a US size 4 in my sixties, I agree that older women do not look great with scant flesh on their bones.

I could post an excoriating selfie of my own modest physique, but instead will direct you towards Demi Moore on her most recent red-carpet outings. While she has never admitted to using fat-shots, Moore is so cadaverous, she barely casts a shadow.

With Klum-styled self-love still such an outlier in Hollywood, actresses and models should be the last women we look to for guidance on our own bodies and mental wellbeing.

Instead, I would encourage young women to turn their gaze towards sports stars: it’s not the prettiest woman who won the Wimbledon Grand Slam this weekend. 

It was the strongest, the woman brimming with self-belief, devoid of make-up, sweating profusely and swearing.

We should be looking toward women who are making noise and taking up space; bravo to Klum for taking up all the space she’s worked so hard and so long to secure.