July 30 (Reuters) – The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Thursday it was seeing a sharp rise in cyclospora infections among travellers returning from Mexico and urged people to follow food and water hygiene measures while abroad.
The agency said the parasite causes stomach illness, mainly through contaminated food, and does not spread from person to person.
Here are the details:
• UKHSA said 67 cyclospora cases were reported in returning travellers in England, Wales and Scotland between April 30 and July 15, compared with an annual average of 93 cases between 2022 and 2025.
• Travel information was available for 52 of the 67 cases, and UKHSA said 48 of those people had travelled to Mexico.
• One traveller reported visiting both Mexico and the United States, while one had travelled only to the United States and another to Kenya.
• The rise in UK cases comes amid a larger cyclospora outbreak in the United States, where Michigan has recorded more than 10,000 infections and health authorities are investigating produce from central Mexico as a potential source.
• UKHSA said people infected with cyclospora can develop watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss and mild fever.
• The agency said contaminated herbs, salad items and soft fruits are common sources of infection.
• Cases linked to Mexico reported staying at a range of hotels in the Riviera Maya and Cancun regions and consuming food and drinks as part of all-inclusive holiday packages.
• UKHSA said it expects more travel-related cases as summer travel to Mexico increases and warned infections linked to travel to the United States could also rise.
• The agency advised travellers to drink bottled water, eat thoroughly cooked food and avoid uncooked berries, fresh herbs, unpeeled fruit and salads.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
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