The Pour Over Today - What Is Cyclospora? (The Parasite Behind This Summer's Diarrhea Outbreak)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Do you have any fun facts? Yes. Fun fact about the word parasite. It means uninvited dinner guest. Or I guess technically it means one who eats at the table of another. I tried to look up some fun facts, but I just didn't want to make light of such a crappy situation. Of course not. We want to be very serious.

Starting point is 00:00:26 Hey, it's Kathleen. And I'm Catherine Ann. And this is TPO Explains, where we provide news context for normal people. Or normal-ish like us. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as you know, we summarize the day's biggest headlines, but as we're writing about everything throughout the week, we never understand all of it. So on Saturdays, we take a shallow dive into one topic from the headlines to educate ourselves, and we bring you along with us.

Starting point is 00:00:51 And this week, can tell everybody what we're learning about. Well, we have to talk about why everybody has explosive diarrhea. Okay. We, every week when we try and pick the topics for these explainers, which we do on Tuesdays. So if you ever have an idea for something you'd like for CA to research and me to ask her about and try and make jokes about, let us know. We love to hear people's suggestions because sometimes it's like we didn't understand anything from this week. How are we going to pick one topic?

Starting point is 00:01:24 But as a joke, we put in in our like Slack channel explosive diarrhea. What is it? And it actually got the most votes and people were like, that's the one I would read. So here we are talking about who. Yeah. Well, technically we're talking about the parasite that is causing the outbreak of explosive diarrhea. Much more scientific and newsy. So K.A. writes our explainer.

Starting point is 00:01:53 So she is going to read through the newsletter. Feel free to follow along with your eyes or just listen along with your ears. Yeah. So let's get into it and start with. What is cyclospora? Cyclospora is short for cyclospora chytenensis. Did it. It's a teeny.

Starting point is 00:02:17 We practiced a lot for this. We did. It's a teeny as in only visible under a microscope small parasite that lives in human feces. And when those feces contaminate food, so think fresh produce like lettuce and berries, or water like pools, hot tubs or lakes, and people consume it, the cyclospora sets up shop in their small intestine, causing an illness called cyclosporiasis. Cyclosporiasis. Cyclosporiasis.

Starting point is 00:02:50 Cyclosporiasis. Yeah. Siked myself out. An illness called cyclosporiasis. Usually that happens when crops are irrigated with water contaminated by human sewage, or Liljani goes number two in his swim trunks. And that is where the explosive diarrhea comes in. Yeah. Have you heard that you're supposed to, if you have, like, an illness with diarrhea, you're supposed to not, like, go in a public swimming area for two weeks? That's a long time, though. I know. I feel like. I feel like

Starting point is 00:03:23 that's why things would spread so quickly, because like it's in the water or spread so much, because you like, you think you're in the clear, but. Yeah. Oh, 100 percent, especially at vacation places, I'm sure. Maybe if somebody just said that, the same way that people said, like, you shouldn't swim after you eat for 30 minutes. Oh, I don't do that. I totally don't follow that rule. Do you feel like our parents just told us that because they wanted to eat their food? Probably. And they were tired of us, like, scarfing it down to go jump in the pool and they couldn't watch us. Probably, yeah. That feels like a wives, too. I'm going to have to ask my mom. Sassy, got some questions. Okay, continue. So what are the symptoms of cyclosporiasis? Besides the diarrhea.

Starting point is 00:04:03 some people don't have symptoms, but others aren't so lucky. Common symptoms include less of appetite, weight loss, cramping, bloating, gas, nausea, fatigue, or flu-like symptoms. They don't usually show up until about a week after being infected and, if left untreated, can last for a few days, up to a month with a high likelihood of going away and coming back. So if you think you have symptoms, you should visit your doctor. Cyclosperiasis is typically treated with an antibiotic, and lots of fluids. Yeah. So maybe you're asking, how worried should I be?

Starting point is 00:04:39 As uncomfortable and prolonged as the illness is, it is rarely life-threatening. Yeah. Okay. I think that's one of the biggest takeaways for me was who should be the most worried about this. And the biggest concern is going to be like dehydration. And so just to be clear, yes, it's terrible to talk about this happening. But as far as who should be the most concerned, it's going to be elderly people, people with weakened immune systems or underlying conditions and very young children. So people in those most vulnerable groups could have severe prolonged illnesses because of complications from like intense dehydration and stuff like that.

Starting point is 00:05:23 Yeah, that's definitely the biggest concern. Especially with this current outbreak being pretty widespread and spanning multiple states. though if you're a resident of the Great Lake State, your risk shoots up because Michigan seems to be the epicenter. So here's the real question. How do you avoid it? The CDC recommends following proper hand and food hygiene, which just means wash up, refrigerating your fruits and vegetables as soon as possible and removing bruised areas on produce before eating. But it is important to note that cyclospora is a resilient bugger, and washing alone does not guarantee removal. State health officials also recommend buying whole heads of lettuce instead of pre-mixed salad bags and prioritizing cooking veggies whenever possible.

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Starting point is 00:06:51 Make your summer wardrobe feel easier. Go to quince.com slash TPO for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E-com-slash-T-O for free shipping in 365-day returns. Quince.com slash T-P-O. Great. Do you said it was widespread? What's the current number?

Starting point is 00:07:20 Last time I looked, there were roughly 7,000 suspected cases. I don't know if that number has changed since the last time I looked, which makes it, if those cases all get confirmed, well on its way to being the largest cyclospora outbreak on record in the U.S. Man. Well, after writing this and having to research this, does it change anything about how you'll live your life? I mean, yes. So I bought cilantro the other day to make food that I haven't made yet, and I keep thinking about it. It's in the back of my head all the time.

Starting point is 00:07:58 I still haven't used it. No. I need to make that food. First of all, you like cilantro? Oh, I love cilantro. Does it taste like soap to you? Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:08:05 You have a genetic thing. Did you know that? I know. My mom told me, thanks a lot. It's asking. Yes. It is a gene. And I have it.

Starting point is 00:08:13 And I don't like it. Experiments my dad does with his students. He's a geneticist. Really? Well, he's a molecular biologist, but he teaches genetics. We should have interviewed him. I could have put a shadow over his face and changed his voice. We could have asked him all kinds of questions.

Starting point is 00:08:27 I thought. Poop. Okay, so is it just in your head for right now? Do you think you'll go back to like normal life when the outbreak's done? Or do you think you're more of a produce washer now? I might be more of a produce washer now, but I'm still going to use that cilantro. The meal will not be as good without it. I'll go to great lengths for tasty food.

Starting point is 00:08:52 Yeah. I made him dinner with kale last night. And I did for a split second. And I was like, I don't know. But I looked at the little, like, wrapper on it. It said it's from South Carolina. And I hadn't seen that one on the list. So I was like, I'm going to try it.

Starting point is 00:09:08 So before, so good. Okay. So on a scale of, okay, neat to mildly panic to everything's fine, but the room's on fire. Where did this topic leave you? Honestly, I'm not, I'm not as concerned about these things. I probably should be. Like, those things did change in the back of my mind, but at the end of the day, I'm never really panicked about these things. Because, like, the Lord is in control, and I can only do so much. And even then, like, it's up to the Lord to, you know, keep me safe and healthy.

Starting point is 00:09:45 Yeah. Maybe I'll be eating my words in two weeks if I have explosive diarrhea. Yeah. So if there's somebody else with me in two weeks on TPR, explains everybody knows what happened it was it was a cilantro um I mean yeah I think the biggest thing is it's so easy to let a headline like this that does feel like it could impact your daily life control your thoughts and and there's just a little we can can do to control certain things and so yeah just not letting even diarrhea shake your your peace, you know. That's the, that's the task at hand. So what Christian perspective did you choose for this article? Yeah, I was thinking a lot about what we've been talking about, because when the

Starting point is 00:10:38 headlines are about health concerns, it can be easy to feel panicked, like we said, but not even our health is outside the Lord's control. Even if we do everything right, we are still dependent on the Lord to keep us healthy and to heal us, and we can rest knowing he is in control and our eternity is secure. And I love Matthew 6 versus 25 through 27. They say, therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky. They don't sew or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying.

Starting point is 00:11:23 I love that one. Thanks, Katie. Before we go, let's say a prayer together, a prayer for rest. Our lowly and humble Lord, we are weary and burdened, for our world is not as it should be. Thin and death still abound and tragedy and sorrows never seem to cease. Yet you are well acquainted with our griefs and struggles. Help us remember that today's bad news is not outside your knowledge or control. Release us from the burden to fix the world, strengthening us for faithful good works as we trust you to complete your renewing work. Giver of the easy yoke quiet us with your gracious rest before the world gets noisy, busy, and burdensome.

Starting point is 00:12:05 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love that we may walk in your ways regardless of what news may meet us, knowing this path leads to an even deeper eternal rest in your presence. Amen. Yeah. If you guys like that and you want more guided prayers like it to help you bring headlines like AI, police shootings, and immigration to the Lord, you should check out TPO's new five-minute audio devotional and join us in prayer on Monday. You can text pray to 71989. That's 7198-9 or check the show notes. And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like and subscribe. You can find all of our past explainers as well as our Monday, Wednesday, Friday news summaries on YouTube, Spotify. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time.

Starting point is 00:12:53 Yeah, we got to run. Bye. Why is it called explosive diarrhea? That's what the people want to know. That's what you want to know. To me, it makes sense, because the bowel movement is explosive. Have you had explosive diarrhea? I feel like it's something that everybody's experience and nobody wants to own up to it.

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The Pour Over Today - What Is Cyclospora? (The Parasite Behind This Summer's Diarrhea Outbreak)

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