Norovirus vs. Cyclosporiasis

The two illnesses are easy to confuse, but they behave differently. Both norovirus and cyclosporiasis cause infections through the fecal-to-oral route and can cause gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

However, norovirus is caused by a virus that spreads directly from person to person. Its symptoms develop quickly, cause more severe illness lasting from one to two days, and often infect multiple household members. The opposite occurs with cyclosporiasis, which does not spread between people and has a slower onset of symptoms.

Here are practical steps:

Everybody knows that good hand hygiene is key to preventing food-related illnesses, yet most people ignore it.

Wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, especially when preparing food or before eating. However, the best way to reduce your risk of cyclosporiasis is to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating them, Marcos said.

Cyclosporiasis (a common case parasite) can be completely eradicated if food is fully cooked, but if eating food raw, there are several steps you can take to reduce risk:

1. Rinse all fruits and vegetables under clean, running water before eating, cutting, or cooking. Avoid soaking produce in a basin of water. Or perhaps add a teaspoon of soda to the basin and wait 10 min, then thoroughly rinse.
2. Remove any damaged or bruised parts of fruits and vegetables before eating.
3. Use a scrub to brush on firm foods such as melons and cucumbers.
4. Discard outer leaves of lettuce and wash leaves individually. For basil and cilantro, separate leaves and wash them thoroughly.
5. For onions, trim the root end, remove the outer layer, and wash thoroughly.
6. For hard-to-clean items such as raspberries, swish them in a mixture of three parts water to one-part white vinegar for a minute, then drain and rinse well. Alternatively, consider using frozen berries.

Because the parasite forms a highly resilient shell, washing produce does not guarantee 100 percent removal, making cooking food above 158 degrees Fahrenheit the only surefire way to kill it.