Westchester County Health Committee Meeting on Cyclospora, August 5, 2026
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Westchester County Board of Legislators Health Committee Meeting on Cyclospora Outbreak — August 5, 2026
The Westchester County Board of Legislators Health Committee, chaired by Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson, met on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, from 11:04 AM to 11:41 AM at the Michaelian Office Building in White Plains, NY, to discuss the ongoing national and local cyclospora outbreak. The committee heard a detailed presentation from Dr. Gary Zeitlin, Chief of the Infectious Disease Department at White Plains Hospital, joined by Soraya Montero, Director of Community Outreach at White Plains Hospital. Legislators present included Vice Chair Nancy Barr, Legislator Emiljana Ulaj (participating remotely), Legislator Erica Pierce, and Legislator David Mamora. County Commissioner of Health Dr. Sherlita Amler was originally scheduled to attend but was unable due to a priority conference.
Minutes Approval
- The committee unanimously approved minutes from three prior meetings: June 27, 2026; June 29, 2026; and July 27, 2026. The motion was made, seconded by Legislator Ulaj, and all members voted yes.
Discussion: Understanding Cyclospora
Outbreak Scale and Statistics
- Chair Williams Johnson reported that, as of July 27, 2026, the CDC had identified 67 laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired cyclospora cases across 45 states, including 423 hospitalizations and no reported deaths. The CDC was also reviewing more than 11,500 additional cases not yet laboratory confirmed. Multiple clusters were under review, including an outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce.
- In Westchester County, 28 confirmed cases had been identified as of July 27, 2026.
- Dr. Zeitlin described the current outbreak as the largest in U.S. history. He noted that while the molecular diagnostic link to Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce was rescinded, all epidemiological data pointed to that product as at least one source. Several distinct genotypic clusters are currently under investigation and have not been definitively linked to the original cluster.
- Dr. Zeitlin stated that White Plains Hospital's total cyclospora cases (outpatient and inpatient) are in the single digits, similar to last year, but that the county overall has a higher case count than last year.
- Two deaths have been reported nationwide; Dr. Zeitlin confirmed these were not Westchester residents. (Note: This appears to be an update to the Chair's opening statement, which cited CDC data through July 27 showing no reported deaths.)
Transmission, Symptoms, and Diagnosis
- Cyclospora is a parasitic illness caused by a microscopic parasite transmitted through contaminated food or water, not a virus. Transmission is fecal-oral, entering the supply chain via infected food handlers at any point along the processing line.
- Symptoms are primarily watery diarrhea (typically not bloody or greasy), along with bloating, nausea, and cramping.
- Dr. Zeitlin explained that older microscopic ova-and-parasite testing had low yield, but newer molecular GI pathogen panels can accurately diagnose cyclospora with a single sample. At White Plains Hospital, results are typically available within 24 hours; turnaround times vary by institution.
- He recommended testing for typical patients after about a week of symptoms, or sooner for those with fever or severe abdominal pain, and urged a lower threshold in outbreak settings or for high-risk individuals (e.g., immunocompromised patients, infants).
Treatment and Prevention
- Standard treatment is a 7-to-10 day course of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim), described by Dr. Zeitlin as a safe and very effective antibiotic. Ciprofloxacin is somewhat effective for those who cannot take Bactrim; nitazoxanide has questionable efficacy.
- Heating food to at least 158°F kills cyclospora; cooking, roasting, and deep frying are effective. No washing method is foolproof, particularly for berries with nooks and crannies (e.g., raspberries).
- There is no vaccine for cyclospora.
- Dr. Zeitlin expressed concern that the CDC has experienced major decreases in personnel and resources, including the Epidemic Intelligence Service, which may slow outbreak investigation. He also noted that cyclospora's molecular diagnostic tools are inherently less accurate than those for bacterial pathogens (e.g., Salmonella) due to partial genomic sequencing, making epidemiological evidence especially important. He added that stored DNA samples could potentially be re-examined with newer technologies over time.
- Asked about anti-diarrheal medications, Dr. Zeitlin cautioned that suppressing diarrhea while an infection is untreated can be dangerous (citing C. diff colitis as an example) and reinforced the value of a lower testing threshold.
Advice for the Public, Restaurants, and Retailers
- Dr. Zeitlin stated there is no current recommendation to avoid all fresh vegetables; he would not discourage healthy people from eating fresh produce, though he advised avoiding pre-shredded iceberg lettuce and, for high-risk persons, higher-risk items (e.g., cilantro, blueberries, raspberries). He said the public appears highly aware of the outbreak and perhaps overly cautious regarding vegetables, and that broader harm would result from everyone avoiding fresh vegetables entirely.
- He noted that Taylor Farms items were recalled, with no other recalls currently in place, and that a restaurant customer could reasonably ask about ingredients, particularly if high-risk.
- On cross-contamination, Dr. Zeitlin stated food-to-food transmission is more likely than transmission via kitchen surfaces, which has not been evidenced in the current outbreak.
- Asked what would trigger stronger action in Westchester, Dr. Zeitlin cited evidence of a local cluster, a hospitalization threshold, or a link to a shared retail or restaurant establishment.
- Dr. Zeitlin expressed optimism that spring/summer cyclospora outbreaks traditionally ebb by August or September.
Key Outcomes
- The committee unanimously approved the minutes from the June 27, June 29, and July 27, 2026 meetings.
- The meeting was informational; no formal resolutions or new policies were introduced.
- Key public health takeaways emphasized by the Chair and Dr. Zeitlin: cook produce above 158°F as the only foolproof prevention method, avoid pre-shredded iceberg lettuce, and seek medical attention if watery diarrhea, cramping, or bloating persists beyond a few days, as testing and reporting help public health tracking.
- The committee adjourned at 11:41 AM.
Meeting Transcript
This meeting is being recorded and summarized. Good morning. I'm Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson, Chair of the Board of Legislative's Committee on Health. Today is August 5th, and I'll note that we are starting calling this meeting to order at 11.04 a.m. Welcome everyone. I'll note that we are joined by the vice chair of the committee, Legislator Nancy Barr, as well as legislator Emiliana Uli. Thank you both for joining us. And we have very happy to have very happy and appreciative to have Dr. Gary Zeitlin, who is the chief of infectious disease at White Plains Hospital, along with Soraya Montero. Soraya, what's your uh title? Community Director of Community Outreach. Direct okay. Thank you both so much for joining us. Um we're anxious to hear Dr. Zieten's medical expertise and help us better understand the ongoing and ever evolving national rise of cyclosporarias. Uh I want to uh start off by noting uh for clarification that uh cyclosporitis is not a virus, right, Dr. Zeitland. It's a testin' illness caused by the microscopic parasite cyclospora, most often transmitted through contaminated food or contaminated water. Um the latest national numbers underscore why this conversation is so timely. When I wrote this intro, uh it was through July 27th at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reported 67 laboratory confirmed domestically acquired cases across 45 states, and that included 423 hospitalizations and no reported deaths. The CDC is also reviewing more than 11,500 additional cases that have not yet been laboratory confirmed or require further investigation. Multiple clusters under review, including but not limited to the outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce. Here in Westchester, again, as of July 27th, the publicly reported local update identified 28 confirmed cases this year. Um and I will apologize for or convey our Commission of Health, Dr. Sharita Amler's apologies. She was originally uh going to join us today, but um she had a uh priority conference, but we know that she's on top of this. Um these figures are important, but our purpose today is definitely not to create fear, it is to replace uncertainty with reliable information. We hope to provide residents, uh health professionals, food service establishments, and policymakers with a clear understanding of how this infection spreads, why diagnosis can be difficult, what symptoms should prompt medical attention, and what we can do individually and collectively to reduce risk. At the same time, the situation continues to evolve, and there remains an urgent need for clear, current and trustworthy information. Our purpose today again is not to create alarm, but to deepen understanding, answer the questions residents and health professionals are asking, and identify what Westchester can do now to strengthen awareness, diagnosis, prevention, and response. Again, Dr. Zeeton, thank you for helping us foster that understanding and for guiding today's important discussion. And with that, I'll turn it over to you. Again, many thanks. Thanks for having me. So of course, there's a lot of concern about uh cyclosporasis nationally, probably uh most folks haven't had occasion to deal with it or hear about it before, but there is cyclospora uh activity among other gastrointestinal illnesses that has occurred uh over over the years, occasionally with outbreaks uh associated with berries, raspberries, in particular over the last few years. But recently we've had the biggest outbreak in the United States history. There was some talk about the Taylor Farm's shredded lettuce, and there was an epidemiologic link made to that product. There was a subsequent report that the molecular diagnostic link was rescinded, meaning that it was not proved by a lab test that was the source, but all of the investigational epidemiologic data pointed to the Taylor Farm's shredded lettuce, at least as a source of some of the cases. Subsequently, there was another cluster, and there may be multiple unrelated clusters in the United States currently. Certainly there is concern among the public how to be safe in the face of this, particularly not knowing for sure what the source is. So traditionally there have been different foodborne infection outbreaks over the years where a particular item will be recalled and that's the end of it, but uh some of the uncertainty is feeling uh more fear among the public. I know some folks have decided not to eat any vegetables at all. Uh one one thing that's not good from a health standpoint, but will certainly kill cyclospora is to deep fry everything. I'm not advocating that, but it's if your food is above 158 degrees, that will kill all cyclospora. Uh beyond you there. So not only deep frying, we can oven roast it too, right? And get to that temperature. Absolutely. Anything above 158 Fahrenheit will kill cyclospora.
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