Iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell linked to cyclospora outbreak in 5 states

Health Iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell linked to cyclospora outbreak in 5 states July 17, 20261:04 PM ET By  Allison Aubrey ,  Kristofor Husted Taco Bell announced it is removing all iceberg lettuce from its supply chain and replacing it after federal health officials linked an outbreak of cyclosporiasis to a single supplier. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Mario Tama/Getty Images The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration advise consumers to avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Health What to know about cyclosporiasis, the intestinal illness hitting the U.S. Health officials analyzed 190 cases of cyclospora in Michigan where a person who fell ill reported eating at Taco Bell. Officials found that 90% of those people said they ate iceberg lettuce. More than 1,644 sick people in this multi-state cyclospora outbreak reported eating at Taco Bell in those states starting May 13, according to the agencies. There have been 94 hospitalizations and no deaths reported. The FDA traced this subset of cases identified nationwide to a single supplier of contaminated iceberg lettuce from Mexico, but did not name the supplier. Sponsor Message FDA says it's working with the supplier to identify other locations where the contaminated lettuce has been distributed. The agency notes this is one large cluster that is epidemiologically related. There are other clusters across the country that may or may not be associated. Cases have been identified in 34 states. Want the latest stories on the science of healthy living? Subscribe to NPR's Health newsletter. Taco Bell issued a statement July 16 that it took "immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states." The statement also said the lettuce would be removed from the supply chain nationwide and replaced within 24 hours. A wide reach for sala...