THE LATEST CYCLOSPORA YADA YADA YADA

It seems some creative but inaccurate Cyclospora memes have popped up on a local social media site. While these are probably bot-driven, a reader asks if it possible to address any fears they might cause with some hard numbers....

Google AI to rescue but you should of course do your own due diligence if you plan on posting these to the social site in question:

Westchester County: The county health department confirmed 28 cases during the peak summer wave.
Rockland County: Health officials reported 3 confirmed cases.
Putnam County: Health officials tracked 3 confirmed cases, with an additional case placed under investigation. [1]

Because the U.S. Cyclospora surveillance season officially concluded at the end of August, case numbers have been trending sharply downward over the past few weeks. However, because health departments like the New York State Department of Health continue to update their tallies weekly into September to capture delayed reporting, a few scattered legacy cases are still being processed. [1, 2]

Local health officials emphasize that because these parasites are tied to broad, commercial distribution networks of fresh produce (like bagged salad mixes, iceberg lettuce, or fresh herbs), these local cases represent individuals who bought contaminated items at standard grocery stores rather than any kind of localized outbreak originating from a Hudson Valley water source or local farm. [1, 2, 3]