Farmington-area grocery shoppers can go back to buying bagged salad greens without extra precautions, after the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday, Aug. 6, lifted its earlier recommendation to purchase only whole heads of lettuce and cook salad greens during the state's cyclosporiasis outbreak.

The change marks a turning point in an outbreak that has hit Oakland County particularly hard. The county has recorded 1,344 cases, according to The Detroit News, making it the second-hardest-hit county in the state behind Wayne County's 2,131 cases.

Statewide, Michigan has documented 12,485 cases and 279 hospitalizations as of Aug. 6, with two deaths reported, according to MDHHS. When we reported Aug. 4, the statewide count stood at 11,234. Oakland County had 1,043 confirmed cases as of July 31.

MDHHS said residents may resume their usual food handling practices and make choices based on their individual risk tolerance. The broad recommendation to avoid bagged salad mixes is no longer in effect. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the department's chief medical executive, said the guidance change reflects declining case data and the best available evidence on the outbreak's trajectory.

The numbers show why. Daily case reports peaked at 726 on July 13 and have dropped steadily since. Symptom onset peaked the week of July 5 with 3,305 people falling ill; that figure fell to 820 the following week and 74 the week after, according to MLive.

Michigan normally sees about 50 cyclosporiasis cases per year. The 2026 outbreak, linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce from central Mexico, is the largest on record for the state and has spread to 72 of 83 counties.

The FDA said Aug. 6 it is confident all iceberg lettuce tied to the outbreak is off the market, according to a joint statement with the CDC reported by CBS Detroit. Taylor Farms de Mexico issued a voluntary recall of the products July 17.

Still showing up in local clinics

Even as the outbreak fades statewide, Oakland County clinicians are still seeing cases. "Patients with cyclosporiasis symptoms continue to be common," Dr. Rachel M. Klamo, a primary care physician at Henry Ford Glennan Primary Care, said Friday, Aug. 7.

Dr. Matthew Compton, chief of emergency medicine at DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township, reported Friday, Aug. 7, that his ER is seeing significantly fewer cases of infectious diarrheal illness than at the outbreak's peak.

At the Farmington Hills MinuteClinic, nurse practitioner Kim Page reported seeing an increase in strep throat and sports physicals rather than a surge in cyclosporiasis-related visits, according to Click On Detroit.

What residents should know

Cyclosporiasis is caused by the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite and spreads through contaminated food or water. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating, nausea and fatigue, and can appear two days to two weeks after exposure. The illness is treatable with antibiotics.

MDHHS will now issue weekly updates on Thursdays rather than daily, reflecting the slowdown. Residents who suspect they have cyclosporiasis should contact their health care provider. The next state update is expected Thursday, Aug. 13.