waning

Aug. 6 (UPI) — The cyclosporiasis outbreak in Michigan has begun to slow as health officials say people can resume taking normal precautions when consuming lettuce and salad greens.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that Michiganders can “resume routine guidance” for lettuce and salad greens.

MDHHS has lifted its recommendation to avoid bagged salad mixes.

Michigan has been a hotspot in the cyclosporiasis outbreak, reporting 12,485 cases since June.

“Since the start of this outbreak, MDHHS has remained committed to providing timely, transparent information and clear recommendations to Michigan residents,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the agency’s chief medical executive, said in a statement. “As new data has emerged, our guidance has evolved to reflect the best available evidence, helping ensure that prevention recommendations are accurate, actionable and responsive to the changing situation.”

The department said most exposures to cyclosporiasis occurred in late June or early July. On average, people exposed to cyclosporiasis begin feeling sick about seven days after exposure but can begin observing symptoms up to 14 days after exposure.

MDHHS adds that the “majority of the contaminated produce is likely no longer available for consumption.”

Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic infection that can cause sudden, watery diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite and fatigue. The outbreak first spread in Michigan and Ohio before reaching a total of 15 states.

The source of the outbreak has been traced to lettuce sourced from Taylor Farms de Mexico. Its lettuce is sold in grocery stores around the United States and restaurants including Taco Bell.

South Africa’s government has been accused of not doing enough to crack down on xenophobic attacks.

The safety of African immigrants in South Africa is deteriorating, Nigeria’s foreign minister has warned, after two Nigerians were killed in disputed circumstances during anti-immigrant protests.

“There are no signs that the situation is improving,” Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said on Monday, while announcing more evacuation flights.

The minister demanded South African authorities investigate the deaths of two Nigerians, Musa Yunana Joe and Charles Iroegbu, killed amid “the ongoing xenophobic protests and attacks on migrants”.

South African police said Joe’s killing did not appear to be related to the protests, but could not immediately comment on Iroegbu’s death.

Nigeria’s foreign ministry says Joe was killed in front of his shop in the northeastern city of ⁠⁠eMalahleni by unidentified criminals on June 28 , while Iroegbu was killed by South African police during interrogation in Pretoria on the same day.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said: “We wish to place the Government of South Africa on ‌‌notice that if the situation continues to persist, all options remain on the table, some of which will be activated if the uncultured and provocative trend of intolerance… against foreigners is not addressed”.

South African foreign ministry spokesman Chrispin Phiri said the government had asked Nigeria’s High Commission to submit “any actionable information to our law enforcement authorities, which will enable a thorough, objective investigation in accordance with the rule of law”.

Weeks of anti-immigrant marches

There have been weeks of protests against undocumented migrants, with many South Africans blaming workers from other African countries for taking their jobs and putting a strain on their social services.

South Africa’s government has been accused of not doing enough to crack down on the violence, which has claimed the lives of several foreigners and seen shops owned by immigrants looted and torched.

Mozambique said that five of its citizens were killed in xenophobic attacks in late May. South Africa ⁠⁠said the number was only two.

Ghana and South Africa were embroiled in a diplomatic row last week, following the killing of a Ghanaian national. The South African government said the death of Bashiru Isak was not linked to anti-immigrant protests.

Hundreds of Nigerians, among tens of thousands of foreigners, have already left South Africa, once a popular destination for documented and undocumented African immigrants due to its relatively strong economy.

Uganda’s High Commission in Pretoria announced on Monday that a fourth group of Ugandan nationals were voluntarily repatriating.

South Africa has had a longstanding violent crime problem that precedes the outbreak of xenophobic violence.