When a newlywed couple planned to go to Yellowstone National Park for their honeymoon, a stop at the ER wasn't on the itinerary.
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A severe intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite known as cyclosporiasis is tearing across multiple states. The main symptoms are "explosive" diarrhea and severe abdominal pain.
The outbreak has led to a recall of lettuce across 27 states and an increase in jokes made at the expense of Taco Bell. But what Gretchen Pleuss experienced is no laughing matter.
Cyclosporiasis Caused a Camping Disaster
As reported by PEOPLE, Pleuss said she was feeling fine when she and her husband started their journey to Yellowstone. But after a few days camping out in the Badlands, the Wisconsin woman began feeling ill.
"It was just like incessant diarrhea," she said.
She was also experiencing pain in her abdomen so severe that she had to go to the emergency room.
"It feels like your intestines are really tight, like something is seizing them," Pleuss added.
Doctors explained to Pleuss that she tested positive for cyclosporiasis. And while time at the hospital was not part of the plan, the newlyweds are making the best of it.
"Our vows said in sickness and in health, so we're just getting an early start on that," said Pleuss.
What's the Latest?
As reported by ABC News on July 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that cases of cyclosporiasis have topped 11,500 in 41 states. And because there is a six-week lag between when people begin feeling symptoms and when cases are reported to the CDC, that number will likely rise.
Taco Bell said on Friday that it is no longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms de México at its restaurants. Then, over the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that a lettuce sample supplied by Taylor Farms tested positive for cyclosporiasis. It was later determined to be a false positive.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said yesterday that the cyclosporiasis outbreak is "under control."
He added, "We have an extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we've identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall."
