if youre in the US (especially the northeast + michigan) i would avoid bagged salads/greens and generally wash your produce very thoroughly unless you want the diarrhea parasite
Michigan is experiencing its largest outbreak of a parasitic infection that causes severe diarrhea. Nearly 1,000 people have been diagnosed
this is not life-threatening, but also who wants weeks of diarrhea and a fucking parasite in them lol. if you suspect you've already had this and it's passed, i would see a doctor. you might need an antiparasitic anyway. if you're actively sick, see a doctor and they might be able to prescribe medication to help you get over it faster.
try to avoid eating raw vegetables, scrub fruit with a produce brush and rinse thoroughly with water. again, don't bother with premade greens or bagged salads. if you buy lettuce, remove the outer 2-3 layers of leaves.
there are UNVERIFIED rumors that the greens have been linked to a company that sources to taco bell. some locations have been actively pulling fresh ingredients like lettuce, avocado, and pico de gallo to mitigate the threat, so i would avoid any products from them just in case. considering how vast supply chains are, i'd be wary of any fast food greens in general for now.
CYCLOSPORA CANNOT BE REMOVED VIA WASHING OR RINSING!*
This is not like e. coli where simply washing off debris will rid produce of possible infection.
If you feel you are at risk of severe illness from a bacterial infection (or just if you're really really trying to avoid shitting your brains out for a week) - AVOID RAW VEGETABLES UNLESS YOU KNOW WHERE THEY CAME FROM (like, your garden)
*technically you can successfully scrub cyclospora off of hard, smooth vegetables like cucumbers or squash. your risk assessment is up to you.
(also you should really be rinsing your greens anyways, even if it says "pre washed")
