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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
SEYMOUR, Tenn. (WATE) — A tragic scene unfolded in a Sevier County apartment on Friday where three individuals were discovered dead.
Sevier County Sheriff Michael Hodges disclosed on Monday that investigators have determined a 33-year-old man allegedly shot and killed a 31-year-old woman and a 3-month-old baby before committing suicide. The investigation is still ongoing as authorities await the autopsy results.
“This incident was profoundly challenging for our deputies, investigators, and all first responders involved. Even though they are trained to handle the most severe cases, the death of an innocent child is particularly devastating, leaving a deep impact on everyone. Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and others affected by this tragic event. We pledge to carry out this investigation with careful attention, ensuring everyone involved is treated with the utmost respect and compassion.”
Sevier County Sheriff Michael Hodges
Hodges said in a statement on Friday that this was an isolated incident and there is no known threat to the public. SCSO also asked the public to respect the families’ privacy.
In 2021, Capital One took substantial action by shutting down hundreds of banking accounts tied to former President Donald Trump and his business operations. This decision, as per recent court documentation from the bank, was taken on “anti-money laundering grounds.”
EDGEFIELD COUNTY, S.C. () – A woman from Oregon has been sentenced to a decade behind bars after a jury found her guilty of smuggling drugs into the Edgefield prison.
Tracy Alic Rel, aged 61 and hailing from Portland, was convicted by an Edgefield County jury on February 26, 2026, for trafficking methamphetamine. Her sentencing took place on July 28, 2026.
According to the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office, which shared details via Facebook, the trial’s evidence revealed Rel’s operation of methamphetamine trafficking from Oregon to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Edgefield.
Investigations showed that Rel cleverly concealed the drugs within empty pill capsules and hid these within vitamin bottles. Her journey took her from Oregon to Atlanta before she proceeded to Edgefield.
Upon arriving in Edgefield, she extracted the methamphetamine from the capsules, repackaged it into small rubber balloons, and managed to smuggle these into the prison during her weekend visits.
Rel discreetly passed the balloons directly to an inmate during those visits, officials said.
The scheme was discovered during a weekend visit in March 2025, when prison security personnel saw her Rel behaving suspiciously and notified the Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators later located Rel at a hotel near the prison. During the investigation, Deputies recovered methamphetamine, empty pill capsules, and blue rubber balloons consistent with the contraband that was found inside the prison.
During the trial, an investigator testified about the dangers posed by methamphetamine and other contraband inside correctional institutions. Prosecutors argued that Rel’s actions threatened not only the security of FCI Edgefield but also the safety of everyone who lives and works in and around the institution.
She is currently housed at the Edgefield County Detention Center and will be transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to begin serving her sentence.
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Motorists in Central Illinois are feeling the pinch as gas prices climb once again, bucking the trend of stability seen in the national average.
According to the latest GasBuddy report issued on Monday, prices at the pump have risen for the fourth consecutive week. Although there was a slight dip of one cent in the average national price for regular gasoline, the picture at the state and regional levels was far from uniform, noted Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s lead petroleum analyst.
“The oil market experienced a rollercoaster recently, spiking due to geopolitical unrest before calming down Sunday night as President Trump suggested a potential deal might be in the works,” De Haan remarked. “Despite this brief relief in oil prices, continuous Ukrainian assaults on Russian oil infrastructure are leading to higher refined product costs as production dwindles, thus maintaining upward pressure on U.S. gas prices.”
Forecasts from De Haan suggest that drivers should brace for even higher costs at the pump in the coming week. The national average may soon reach levels not seen at this time of year, with a reminder that, in 2022, prices peaked in June before experiencing a downward trend through the rest of the summer.
“Motorists should keep a close eye on developments both in the Middle East and in Ukraine, as either front could quickly shift the outlook,” De Haan added.
In their report on Monday, GasBuddy shared the following information about the prices of gas:
United States
Average price of regular fuel is $4.05 per gallon
Average price of diesel fuel is $5.33 per gallon
7 cents higher than one week ago
57 cents higher than one month ago
$1.62 higher than one year ago
Illinois
Range between $3.69 and $6.99 per gallon
Average price of regular fuel is $4.32
9 cents higher than one week ago
37 cents higher than one month ago
90 cents higher than one year ago
Champaign-Urbana area
Range between $4.09 and $4.43 per gallon
Average price of regular fuel is $4.32
17 cents higher than one week ago
61 cents higher than one month ago
$1 higher than one year ago
Elsewhere in Central Illinois, Oakwood is selling the region’s cheapest gas at $3.89 per gallon. Most of Effingham’s stations and a few in Springfield are just under $4 per gallon, with only a handful of other stations around the region selling at or near that price. Decatur’s cheapest gas is $4.09 per gallon, and Danville’s cheapest is $4.19.
Are you feeling stiff after the age of 60? Here are five simple exercises you can perform in bed to ease your joints before you even set foot on the floor.
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Waking up in the morning might sometimes feel akin to unfolding a creaky deckchair. With nearly four decades in the fitness industry, and having spent 25 years at the helm of TRAINFITNESS, a leading fitness education provider in the UK, I’ve come to recognize this familiar morning stiffness as a top concern among clients aged 60 and over. Thankfully, five brief exercises performed right in bed can transform this discomfort in as little as two weeks.
Where Morning Stiffness Comes From
The scenario is all too familiar: overnight, the connective tissues surrounding each joint become stiff, fluid accumulation occurs, and muscles cool down. Holding the same posture for approximately eight hours locks everything in place. For many individuals over 60, this groggy first-hour stiffness is something they assume is just a part of aging.
The areas most affected by this stiffness typically include the hips, lower back, and ankles. Hips stiffen due to being bent both at night and during the day, the lower back tightens from aligning alongside the spinal column overnight, and the ankles become rigid due to being pointed downward while asleep, shortening the calf muscles.
The upper body isn’t far behind. Shoulders that spent the day rounded forward at a desk stay rounded overnight, so reaching overhead first thing feels tighter than it did the day before. And the neck, especially for people who sleep on the side, wakes up with one side more compressed than the other.
Underneath all of that is a slow loss of joint range that most over 60s haven’t kept up with. When you don’t move joints through their full range regularly, the range shrinks. Not gone, but temporarily unavailable. Bed exercises give it back.
4 Classic Exercises That Reverse Aging Better Than Cardio After 60
Why Bed Beats Stretching
Shutterstock
Standard stretching assumes you’re already warm and ready to lengthen. It works well after a walk or a workout, but first thing in the morning the body is cold, and the tissues are stiff. Force a static stretch on a cold body, and you’ll get a niggle instead of a release.
Bed exercises work differently. They move joints through their ranges rather than holding a stretch at the end range. Movement warms the tissue, gets the joint fluid circulating, and wakes up the muscles around each joint without asking them to go anywhere they don’t already have. That means the body gains mobility without the risk of a strain.
There’s also the fact that you’re already there. The barrier to doing something before you’re properly upright is the smallest barrier in the day. Ten minutes done under the duvet gets done. Ten minutes on a yoga mat at 6 am often doesn’t.
And bed exercises use the mattress as a friendly surface. It supports the body without demanding anything from balance or joint tolerance. This makes it easier to move through ranges that would be uncomfortable on a hard floor, especially for the spine and the hips.
Full-Body Starfish Stretch
This wakes up the whole system at once. Reaching the arms overhead and pointing the feet lengthens the body from fingertips to toes, which gets blood moving through every muscle and cues the nervous system that the day has started.
How to Do It:
Lie on your back in bed with legs straight
Reach both arms overhead, palms facing up
Point the toes and lengthen the feet away from you
Take a deep breath in as you reach
Hold the full lengthening for 5 seconds
Release, breathing out
Repeat 5 times
Avoid These Mistakes:
Don’t reach half-heartedly. The value is in the full length. Get your fingers as far away from your toes as you can, and let your ribcage lift with the reach. A tepid version does nothing.
Sets and Reps: 5 reps, holding the full reach for 5 seconds each time.
4 Chair Exercises That Flatten Belly Pooch Faster Than Ab Workouts After 65
Knee-to-Chest Hug
This releases the lower back and stretches the deep muscles of the hip that have been folded overnight. It’s the fastest way to make the lower back feel like your own again first thing in the morning.
How to Do It:
Lie on your back with legs straight
Bend one knee and gently bring it towards the chest
Wrap both hands around the knee or the shin
Pull gently for 20 seconds, breathing slowly
Release and repeat on the other side
Then bring both knees to the chest together and hold for another 20 seconds
Avoid These Mistakes:
Don’t pull hard or force the range. This is a hold-and-soften move, not a pull-and-stretch one. Gentle pressure for 20 seconds does more than aggressive pulling for five.
Sets and Reps: 20 seconds per side, then 20 seconds with both knees together.
Supine Spinal Twist
This frees up the whole spine, from the tailbone to the base of the neck, and gives the back the rotation it rarely gets in daily life. Rotation is the movement most people over 60 have lost the most of, and the one that unlocks the whole upper body.
How to Do It:
Lie on your back with arms out to the sides at shoulder height
Bend both knees and bring them towards the chest
Slowly lower both knees together to the right side, keeping the shoulders flat on the bed
Turn the head to look towards the left hand if that’s comfortable
Hold for 20 seconds, breathing slowly
Bring the knees back to center and lower to the left side
Hold for 20 seconds
Avoid These Mistakes:
Don’t let the opposite shoulder lift off the bed as the knees drop. The value of the twist comes from keeping both shoulders down. If the shoulder wants to lift, let the knees stay higher, not lower.
Sets and Reps: 20 seconds per side.
5 Barefoot Exercises That Strengthen Your Feet Better Than Orthotics After 60
Cat-Cow on All Fours
This mobilizes the whole spine in both directions and warms up the wrists, shoulders and hips at the same time. Doing it on the bed gives the knees a soft surface to kneel on, which is often the deciding factor for whether it happens at all.
How to Do It:
Come onto all fours on the bed, hands under shoulders, knees under hips
Take a breath in as you arch the back, lifting the chest and looking slightly up
Take a breath out as you round the back upwards, tucking the chin and pelvis
Move slowly between the two positions
Avoid These Mistakes:
Don’t only move the middle of the back and leave the neck stiff. Tuck the chin in the round position and lift it in the arch. Let the whole spine work, from the tailbone all the way up.
When a swamp harrier hawk—locally known as a kāhu—was discovered ensnared in a fence in a remote part of New Zealand’s North Island this past July, the initial reaction was one of indifference. Little did anyone realize that this find would soon etch the bird into the annals of history.
The very next day, after the hawk’s condition worsened, it was humanely euthanized. A routine examination that followed, however, revealed an unexpected twist: this was the first indigenous bird in New Zealand to test positive for H5N1 bird flu, a highly contagious and often deadly strain. This development came closely on the heels of the virus’s initial detection on the Australian mainland, which occurred only a month earlier.
“We’re more interconnected with Australia than we might think, despite the Tasman Sea separating us,” observed Jemma Geoghegan of the University of Otago, highlighting the fluid movement of birds between the two nations.
Now, a month later, the lethal virus is slowly infiltrating the region’s ecosystems. With two cases confirmed in New Zealand so far, authorities anticipate a significant spike in numbers as the virus continues its relentless march.
A month on, the virus is slowly making its way into the region’s eco-systems. New Zealand has recorded two cases of the virus but officials there expect that number to start climbing steeply any day now.
Australia, meanwhile, has just recorded its first mass casualty event: 49 dead greater crested terns and 35 sick ones were discovered on rocks off Cape Jaffa, an isolated outcrop on South Australia’s rugged limestone coast.
Both countries knew the virus was not far off when it was first detected on Australia’s remote sub-Antarctic Heard Island in 2025, leading to mass mortality of elephant seals.
By this time, preparations for the strain — which has ripped through every other continent — were well underway in New Zealand, where for the past two years the country’s Department of Conservation has been trialling a vaccination program for six species of “highly” endangered birds.
Two years ago the country began researching how certain native birds would tolerate and respond to the vaccine, so when the disease made its inevitable landfall, these populations could be protected.
“The trial was really to understand if the vaccine was going to be effective, but also what kind of doses different birds might need.”
She said this “targeted program” had been rolled out for species that were “really, really endangered” and already “highly managed” through GPS trackers and health monitoring.
The vaccine being used in New Zealand requires a booster shot to be effective, so it’s important that researchers are able to carefully track which birds have had the jab and which haven’t.
“Often they’ll be on offshore islands that are highly managed, because there’s only maybe a few 100 left of the individuals.”
New Zealand has so far vaccinated 196 of 300 targeted birds across six species.
While there is significant concern for both countries’ commercial poultry industries, there is acute concern for both countries’ native wildlife, which includes thousands of species not found anywhere else in the world.
Geoghegan said it was “hard to know” what the virus’ arrival would mean for these vulnerable populations, “because a lot of the native species here have not had exposure to even influenza viruses.”
Answering this question has been a huge part of Geoghegan’s research in New Zealand, and a key part of her country’s preparedness for the disease.
H5N1 does not affect all wildlife equally. Chickens, for instance, are particularly susceptible, while ducks are less so, so understanding which species are likely to be hit hard by the disease is important to understand.
Her research also focused on scavenger birds — like the kāhu — because they were likely to harbour more of the virus and therefore could become vectors for the virus once it arrived.
‘Scariest part of the whole story’
This kind of research is exactly the kind that Patrick Finnerty from the University of Sydney said had been missing in Australia.
“You probably find that answer most of the time is ‘we don’t really know’ [how bird flu will spread] and that’s kind of the scariest part of the whole story,” he said.
Finnerty said that Australia had not invested in a lot of the kinds of research that would have prepared ecologists like him to understand how the disease would move through different populations.
“We just don’t know how this disease is going to spread. So from a scientific perspective, we’re kind of at a bit of a loss because we don’t really know what this is going to do, and that’s terrifying.”
He said he was concerned this made it difficult for Australia’s response to understand how to protect birdlife.
Kirsty Short from the University of Queensland agreed: “I would have liked to see more investment in research on native species and H5N1 before the virus came here because I think we would have that opportunity to do a bit more scientifically informed preparedness planning.
“It just comes back down to the fact that we’ve just got such unique species here that we can’t really extrapolate from the northern hemisphere experience, so that does leave us a little bit vulnerable.”
She praised Australia’s surveillance of the disease, which she said was world-class, and believed that this would be an essential element of combating its spread.
When asked to compare Australia’s disease vectors to international experiences, she said no data came to mind because she said he hadn’t seen a country that had recorded the disease’s incursion as thoroughly as Australia.
“I can’t think of a country that’s documented it like we have, where it’s, ‘this is the first case. This is the second case,’ other countries just declare that they have H5N1 and that’s it,” she said.
Vaccine not necessarily the answer
Short said just like in New Zealand, the uniqueness of so much of Australia’s wildlife meant it was impossible to guess how the virus would affect different wildlife, and it was also impossible to know, without testing, how local wildlife would respond to a vaccine.
She said vaccine testing for certain endangered species was underway in Australia but did not have further details and believed the process for testing a vaccine on a wild population would take around seven months start to finish.
Short cautioned against seeing vaccines as a solution, though.
“You could say, ‘OK, well, let’s vaccinate all the endangered animals,’ but the practicality of going into the field and vaccinating endangered animals is limited,” she said.
“So probably what we’re looking at — and what other countries like Singapore have been exploring — is vaccinating captive animals that are at risk due to their endangered species or other reasons.”
In a detailed analysis, Bill Hemmer and Chad Wolf delve into the plans of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to escalate arrests of Haitian migrants, particularly examining the implications for those with temporary protected status. They discuss the nationwide encounter figures for Haitians under the Biden administration, highlighting a staggering total of nearly 500,000. Wolf points out a significant pivot within the Democratic Party regarding border security, referencing historical comments from Barack Obama and current debates around dismantling ICE.
During the Trump administration, July marked a historic peak in immigration enforcement as ICE executed around 51,000 arrests. This figure stands as the highest monthly total in the agency’s operational history.
On average, ICE carried out approximately 1,645 arrests each day throughout July, as confirmed by several federal officials in discussions with Fox News.
This unprecedented tally followed closely on the heels of June’s then-record-setting month, which saw around 43,000 arrests, marking two consecutive months of heightened enforcement activity.
In California, ICE’s Operation Highway Sentinel resulted in the arrest of over 100 illegal alien truck drivers, a measure taken after fatal crashes were linked to commercial driver’s licenses issued by the state.(Department of Homeland Security)
Federal sources told Fox News the surge followed a slowdown in ICE arrests in the weeks and months after unrest in Minneapolis.
They attributed the record-setting pace to the end of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, thousands of newly hired ICE personnel hitting the streets and billions of dollars in new funding from two reconciliation bills that replenished the agency’s coffers.
The additional money is helping fuel expanded hiring and enforcement operations nationwide, according to the sources.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin speaks during a news conference, July 1, 2026, in New York.(AP Photo/David ‘Dee’ Delgado)
The Department of Homeland Security praised ICE officers in a post on X Monday, highlighting the agency’s efforts to arrest and remove criminal illegal immigrants.
“Every day, the brave men and women of ICE are arresting and DEPORTING dangerous criminal illegal aliens, including gang members, from our country,” DHS wrote.
“Under @POTUS Trump and @SecMullinDHS, the safety of the American people will always come first,” the department added.
The record-setting month comes as ICE has ramped up high-profile enforcement operations across the country.(Courtesy Charles Reed/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via Reuters)
The July figures represent the highest single-month arrest total ever recorded by ICE and mark the second straight month the agency has broken its own record.
The record-setting month comes as ICE has ramped up high-profile enforcement operations across the country under the Trump administration.
Last month, ICE announced its Harlingen, Texas, field office arrested 238 illegal immigrants in a single day, setting a record for targeted arrests in the Rio Grande Valley.
According to the agency, those taken into custody included a suspected Paisas gang member and a Mexican national previously convicted of attempted kidnapping, sexual battery and illegal reentry.
At the time, ICE Harlingen Field Office Director Juan Agudelo said the agency remained focused on “enhancing public safety and restoring integrity to our nation’s immigration system.”
“We will stop at nothing to keep our American communities safe by removing one criminal illegal alien at a time,” Agudelo said.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did not mince words when talking about Dr. Anthony Fauci during a recent Senate hearing. Fauci, who was a key figure in the U.S. government’s strategy against COVID-19, repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during intense questioning about the pandemic response.
Rodgers, who has previously been in the spotlight for choosing not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, made a witty remark during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” this Monday. He joked that he would “plead the fifth” if asked about what could be his final season in the NFL.
He humorously equated himself to Fauci, saying, “I’m going to plead the fifth… like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and you pleaded [the fifth] over 100 times. What are you scared of, Tony?”
Rodgers didn’t stop there, taking a jab by saying, “I thought you were the science, and he gets up there and can’t answer a question.” His comment alluded to Fauci’s past assertion of himself as a representation of scientific expertise during the pandemic.
At the contentious Senate hearing on Capitol Hill, Fauci took the Fifth Amendment over 100 times, sidestepping questions concerning COVID-19. The scene grew more bizarre as he even resisted answering simple inquiries, such as what color tie he was wearing or what day it was, raising eyebrows among some attendees.
Rodgers went on to call out ESPN for its coverage on the former four-time MVP and his stance on the vaccine at the time — and mentioned that “there’s been a lot of silence” by the Worldwide Leader after Fauci’s hearing.
“How much did the network spend on that — on my responses every week, on my vaccination status, on Taylor and Travis’ wedding? Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci?”
Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, testifies about the COVID-19 pandemic in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, on July 29, 2026, in Washington, DC. Getty Images
McAfee chimed in and said that he didn’t hear anything.
“Then there was another scandal this offseason too, involving a voter for MVP, for coach of the year,” Rodgers said, seemingly referring to the scandal involving former NFL insider Dianna Russini and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, broken and covered extensively by Page Six.
“How much time did your network spend on that?” Rodgers said.
That’s when McAfee’s co-hosts said “let’s go back to [talking about] Fauci.”
Rodgers then cut off McAfee to continue his victory lap and roast of Fauci.
“No seriously, what are they gonna say about me now?” Rodgers said. “Now that you can’t talk about the COVID stuff because obviously it was made in a lab in China, that’s not even questionable anymore. Tony Fauci is an absolute criminal. I’m on good terms with my family. What are you going to say now?
“There’s been a lot of science, but I will say this. I gotta give flowers to my old friend, [ESPN personality] Stephen A. Smith, because he was man enough to actually admit and apologize to [Dallas Mavericks point guard] Kyrie Irving… You are not a coward, [Stephen A].”
Smith issued an on-air apology to Irving for criticizing him over his refusal to comply with New York’s mandatory COVID vaccinations while he was playing for the Brooklyn Nets — and explained that his perspective shifted on the matter after watching the Fauci Senate hearing.
“Other than that, I feel like there has been a lot of silence,” Rodgers said, referring to ESPN’s lack of coverage on the subject. “They can talk about Rex Ryan’s foot fetish, but please dont talk about anything else right now, dont talk about any scandals… Talk about Taylor and Travis’ wedding. What do the insiders know about that? But don’t talk about s–t that actually has to do with our business and righting wrongs of the past.”
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to pass against the Houston Texans in the first quarter of an NFL wild card playoff game at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Getty Images
Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2021 after famously saying he was “immunized” against the virus — not vaccinated — and opted to receive an alternative treatment from his personal doctor.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed the treatment was not enough to be considered vaccinated, and Rodgers was later fined by the league for violating COVID protocol.
At the time, McAfee took a lot of heat for his friendship with Rodgers and the quarterback’s then-weekly appearance on his show.
“[Rodgers’ vaccination status] was a talking point of COVID, I believe, around the entire globe and the only reason I know that is because I was called a murderer because I was platforming Aaron Rodgers, who was making the decision that was best for himself,” McAfee said.
“So as soon as I saw all this stuff start happening with Fauci, I knew, boy you were certainly having a time because your name was slandered.”
McAfee applauded Rodgers for “standing on your truth throughout the entirety of that thing” during the pandemic.
“I feel great about it,” Rodgers said. “I told you I would be on the right side of history.
“All the bulls–t over the years, just keep it 100. I’m not taking this f–king victory lap, but seriously, come on. What are we talking about?”
Health officials in the United States have reported the first fatalities linked to a parasite responsible for causing severe diarrhea outbreaks, described as ‘explosive’ in nature.
According to Michigan’s health department, two residents have succumbed to cyclosporiasis, an illness with the potential to induce serious dehydration and fatal complications.
The department noted that both individuals had significant pre-existing health issues, but further specifics remain undisclosed.
These fatalities form part of a substantial cyclosporiasis outbreak, traced back to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, supplied to Taco Bell and other retailers.
Michigan reported a spike in infections, with the count soaring to 11,234 cases, sharply contrasting with the roughly 4,013 cases in Ohio, the second most affected state.
Nationwide, a total of 18,000 cases of cyclosporiasis across 45 states have been reported. Official tallies tend to lag behind those from states.
Typically spread through consuming food or water contaminated with human feces, cyclospora, the parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, triggers ‘explosive’ diarrhea, abdominal cramps and vomiting in patients. In serious cases, it may trigger severe dehydration, which can be fatal.
Health officials said that cyclosporiasis is ‘generally not a life-threatening illness’, adding that deaths from the disease were ‘uncommon’.
Two people in Michigan have died from an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, caused by the cyclospora parasite (pictured above)
Revealing the deaths, health officials in Michigan said: ‘According to medical records, both individuals had significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration.’
A total of 193 people in Michigan have been hospitalized as of July 30.
The surge in cases comes as health officials scramble to find the source of the outbreak. The FDA initially named lettuce supplied by produce grower Taylor Farms as the culprit, leading the company to temporarily shut down the Central Mexico processing facility linked to the parasite.
But on July 19, the FDA said lettuce from Taylor Farms returned a false-positive result for the cyclospora parasite.
The named Taylor Farms facility produces five-pound bags of shredded iceberg lettuce sold to Taco Bell, Sysco and other large food distributors. It has since been shut down temporarily and its lettuce has been recalled.
The largest previously recorded outbreak was in 2019, and led to 4,703 domestic and internationally acquired cases. This was primarily linked to fresh basil imported from Mexico alongside other causes.
In Michigan, health officials have not pinpointed a specific source but have urged people to thoroughly wash and trim certain produce before consuming them. These items include lettuce and leafy greens, cilantro, basil, green onions, raspberries and snow peas.
Michigan has been recording its surge in cyclosporiasis cases since late June, with infections mostly diagnosed in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Within the state, the majority of cases are being diagnosed in and around Detroit. Oakland County, one of the three counties that make up metropolitan Detroit, has recorded more than 1,000 cases, the most out of any county in the state.
Typically, Michigan records around 50 cases of the parasite every year.
People become infected with cyclosporiasis by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the cyclospora parasite, most commonly through fresh produce such as leafy greens, herbs and berries.
In the US, most cases are typically linked to international travel or imported produce from regions where the parasite is common, including Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Fresh produce can become contaminated if it is washed or irrigated with water contaminated by human sewage.
Previous outbreaks have been linked to bagged salad kits, cilantro, basil and other leafy greens.
In addition to lettuce, officials in North Carolina last week said parsley and cilantro were ‘showing up repeatedly’ in interviews with patients who had become ill. Officials, however, have not revealed where the patients ate before becoming sick or how many cases have been linked to each ingredient.
Cyclosporiasis typically causes explosive diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.
The cyclospora parasite causes cyclosporiasis, an infection that leads to diarrhea, severe cramping, nausea and vomiting and fatigue
Unlike norovirus or routine food poisoning, however, symptoms often come and go rather than resolving after a few days.
Without treatment, experts say the illness can persist for weeks or repeatedly return.
Anyone with diarrhea lasting more than a few days should seek medical care and specifically ask for a cyclospora test, as it is not routinely ordered, Dr Swapnil Patel, vice chair of medicine at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, told the Daily Mail.
The test detects cyclospora DNA in stool samples and typically requires one to three samples.
Treatment for the infection consists of the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sold under the brand names Bactrim, Septra and Cotrim.
