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Michigan on Thursday reported \u200b13,909 cases linked to an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an increase of roughly 11% from last week, as the state continued to \u200caccount for the bulk of cases in the multi-state outbreak of the parasitic illness.<\/span><\/p>\n The outbreak has shaken people across the United States, raising concerns about eating fresh produce and going to restaurants, in addition to causing illness.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite a weekly jump in cases, Michigan health officials said new cyclosporiasis case reports and related emergency department visits were declining, adding that \u200bresidents could resume routine guidance for consuming lettuce and salad greens. The department had last week said new case reports appeared to \u200bbe slowing.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, said he believes the latest cases \u2060are not evidence of ongoing transmission but reflect the fact that the state had a backlog in testing.<\/span><\/p>\n Some Michigan health systems last month reported \u200bsignificant delays in the reporting of test results as the high volume of cases resulted in a shortage of test kits and reagents.<\/span><\/p>\n Corewell Health, a \u200bnon-profit chain of 21 hospitals across Michigan, issued guidance on July 22 saying that due to the current outbreak, it would take 8-21 days to deliver test results, up from the normal 2-4 day wait time.<\/span><\/p>\n With these new cases, Osterholm said, it is important to understand when symptoms first emerged, details the state has not provided.<\/span><\/p>\n Michigan previously \u200breported two deaths associated with the outbreak, with officials saying both individuals had significant underlying health conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n Wayne County had the highest number of cases at \u200b1,794, followed by Oakland County with 1,344. People aged 30 to 39 accounted for the largest number of cases by age group, with 2,615 infections. The state health department \u200csaid 314 \u2060of those infected were hospitalized.<\/span><\/p>\n The outbreak, which has been linked to iceberg lettuce sourced from privately held Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico, has shaken consumer confidence in lettuce and other fresh produce.<\/span><\/p>\n U.S. producer prices for lettuce plunged 73% in July from a month earlier, the steepest decline in more than two decades, Labor Department data showed on Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n The July collapse reversed sharp price gains recorded in May and June and coincided with a sharp \u200bdrop in consumer demand for lettuce and \u200bmenu items containing leafy greens, \u2060the data showed. Lettuce producer prices were also down 50.1% from a year earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCases may be declining, but not necessarily very quickly because once an outbreak is announced, older cases often start getting reported,\u201d said Martin Wiedmann, \u200bGellert Family Professor in Food Safety at Cornell University.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere is a significant lag between when someone consumes contaminated \u200bfood and when illness \u2060is detected and reported,\u201d Wiedmann noted. \u201cI\u2019m not sure I would have advised people not to eat lettuce when the warning was first issued.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The fallout has also spread to restaurants, with Taco Bell owner Yum Brands and Chipotle Mexican Grill a reporting pressure as diners grew more cautious about ordering menu items containing leafy \u2060greens.<\/span><\/p>\n The U.S. \u200bCenters for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 13,895 laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases across 47 states \u200bin the United States, as of August 11.<\/span><\/p>\n