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Two want illness to be reportable to state

Two state senators want Pennsylvania to add cyclosporiasis to Pennsylvania's list of reportable diseases and require healthcare providers and laboratories to report confirmed cases to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, D-Norristown, and Sen. Maria Collett, D-Fort Washington, have introduced a co-sponsorship memorandum for legislation they are drafting that would require the reporting of cyclosporiasis to the state Health Department. Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea "with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements," according to the CDC. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.

Cyclospora cases have been reported in at least 47 states this year, and investigators have continued to probe how many could be linked to a common contaminated source. Cyclospora infections are generally treatable with antibiotics and rarely cause serious complications.

"Despite cyclosporiasis being a nationally notifiable disease, Pennsylvania does not currently require cases to be reported to public health authorities. Instead, reporting occurs on a voluntary basis. This gap may limit our ability to quickly identify trends, coordinate investigations, and respond to emerging public health threats," Cappelletti and Collett wrote in their co-sponsorship memorandum for legislation that hasn't yet been drafted.

The parasitic illness has been linked to cases in 15 states, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There are several reasons cyclospora outbreaks can be hard to investigate and contain, Dr. Juan Luis Marquez, medical director of the Washtenaw County and Livingston County health departments in Michigan, told the Associated Press earlier this month. In the past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water. Also, it's possible that food distributors may channel contaminated foods to both grocery stores and restaurants, making it hard to discern where tainted food came from.

It can take weeks between when someone is exposed to the parasite and when they come down with symptoms; it's harder to analyze the parasite in laboratories; and it's a lot of work to interview everyone who is sick and clearly identify common exposures, said Marquez, an adjunct public health professor at the University of Michigan.

The worst year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally. This year has far surpassed that. Michigan alone has reported more than 12,000 -- including two deaths. Adding in the other states that have reported cases, the national total stands at over 25,000.

"Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation to strengthen disease surveillance, improve outbreak response efforts, and better protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians," Cappelletti and Collett wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.