US officials declare end to record cyclospora outbreak.

Federal officials are preparing to declare the nation's largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak over, according to the Washington Post, citing two unnamed sources. The FDA has not publicly confirmed the announcement.

• 19,500+ laboratory-confirmed infections have been reported nationally since May 1.
• 11,458 people across 20 states were sickened in the lettuce-linked cluster; 495 were hospitalized.
• Two deaths in Michigan were linked to the outbreak.
• Before 2026, the worst U.S. cyclospora season on record — 2019 — tallied roughly 4,700 illnesses.

Why it matters: Declaring the outbreak over closes the active response phase, but key questions remain. Investigators traced the largest illness cluster to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico but never found a cyclospora-positive lettuce sample.

• Thousands of additional cases appear unrelated to the lettuce cluster and have no confirmed source.
• University of Florida food sciences professor Keith Schneider told Newsweek a definitive cause for those cases is unlikely to be found.

How 42 sources split on this story

Where they split: Coverage does not split on facts; both outlets report the same case counts and rely on the same Washington Post tip, differing mainly in which expert voices and facility details they include.

What’s next: The Taylor Farms plant in Doctor Mora, Mexico has been closed since about July 10 with no confirmed reopening date.

• Officials say recalled lettuce products are off the market; consumers do not need to avoid lettuce.
• Will investigators ever identify where contamination entered the lettuce supply chain?
• What caused the thousands of cyclospora cases unlinked to the Taylor Farms lettuce cluster?