Key facts
- No current Canadian outbreak under PHAC investigation — its public health notices listed no active enteric illness outbreak investigation as of 8 Sep 2026.
- Canadian cases are up, and travel-linked: Québec 107 and British Columbia 93 by mid-July, with officials reporting no link to the U.S. outbreak.
- Main risk: travel and imported produce — not Canadian food or water.
- South of the border: the U.S. iceberg-lettuce outbreak reached 11,458 cases across 20 states, 495 hospitalisations and 2 deaths (CDC, as of 3 Sep 2026); new cases are declining and the investigation is still open.
- Notifiable: reportable in all provinces and territories.
- History: the last widespread Canadian outbreak was 2017 (BC, ON, QC, NS).
Is it in Canada? Per PHAC, Cyclospora is not commonly found on Canadian food and is not in Canadian drinking water, and as of 8 September 2026 there was no Canadian outbreak under investigation — PHAC’s notices page reported no active enteric illness outbreak investigation at all. The real risk for Canadians is chiefly travel to endemic regions and imported produce, with a seasonal rise in spring and summer.
Cyclospora snapshot (cross-border)
A notifiable disease
Cyclosporiasis is nationally notifiable in all provinces and territories, with case data shared, and multi-jurisdiction or cross-border events triggering investigation. That surveillance is why authorities can say confidently when there is — and isn’t — a domestic outbreak.
Regional notes
- Ontario: not endemic; cases are typically travel- or imported-food-related (Public Health Ontario).
- Québec: 107 cases as of 11 July 2026, against about 30 for the same period in 2025 — most travel-linked, chiefly to Mexico. Fewer than five reported travel to the United States.
- British Columbia: 93 cases reported this year; generally travel/imported-food-related, and part of the 2017 outbreak.
- Elsewhere, mid-July: Alberta 6, Nunavut 5, Ontario 2 (in March), Manitoba 1 under investigation; Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and the Northwest Territories reported none.
- No link to the U.S. outbreak: officials said in July they were not seeing one; Alberta identified no connections at all.
- 2017 outbreak: about 164 cases across BC, Ontario, Québec and Nova Scotia.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducts year-round import surveillance — testing imported fresh whole and cut leafy vegetables, salad mixes, herbs such as cilantro and basil, raspberries and blackberries — and said on 15 July 2026 it was not considering restrictions on fresh produce from the United States, with targeted import controls and increased sampling available if that changed. Canadian readers: the per-province numbers above are kept up to date, with sources, on our Canadian site — cyclospora case counts by province. Use the province lookup for general context:
Where the U.S. outbreak stands
Most of the traffic to this page comes from the United States, so the cross-border picture matters. Two different numbers get quoted and they are not the same thing:
- The iceberg-lettuce outbreak: 11,458 cases across 20 states, at least 495 hospitalisations and 2 deaths, traced to lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico and recalled. New cases are declining, the recalled product’s best-by dates have passed, and CDC has reduced its update frequency — but the investigation is still open. (CDC, figures as of 3 September 2026.)
- All U.S. cyclosporiasis, which is much larger: 18,445 laboratory-confirmed cases acquired in the United States since 1 May 2026, reported by 49 states plus the District of Columbia (CDC, as of 1 September 2026). CDC continues to investigate other outbreaks unrelated to the lettuce one.
Neither figure is a Canadian figure, and the Canadian cases above are not part of that outbreak.
What Canadians should do
Wash produce well (see imported-produce risk), watch for symptoms, see a provider if you become ill, and understand your stool testing options in Canada. For U.S. context, see the U.S. outbreak tracker.
Testing & shipping
Frequently asked questions
Is Cyclospora in Canada?
It’s not commonly found on Canadian food or water; most cases relate to travel or imported produce.
Is there a Cyclospora outbreak in Ontario, Quebec or BC?
No. As of 8 September 2026 PHAC listed no active enteric illness outbreak investigation. Individual case counts are up though: Quebec reported 107 by 11 July against about 30 a year earlier, and British Columbia 93, with Ontario at 2. Officials said in July that these are not linked to the U.S. outbreak — most are travel-related, chiefly to Mexico.
Can I get Cyclospora from Canadian produce?
The parasite isn’t commonly on Canadian-grown food; imported produce and travel are the main risks.
Is cyclosporiasis a reportable disease in Canada?
Yes — nationally notifiable in all provinces and territories.
Where can I get tested for Cyclospora in Canada?
Talk to a provider about stool testing; the GI-MAP ships to Canada via gimaptestcanada.com.
Sources & further reading
- Public Health Agency of Canada — Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora).
- Public Health Ontario — Cyclosporiasis disease information.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Food safety & imported-produce surveillance.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora).
Canadian per-province case counts and the officials’ statements on the U.S. link are from Global News, 16 July 2026, canvassing the provinces; the CFIA import position and consumer advice from CP24, 15 July 2026; U.S. outbreak and national surveillance figures from the CDC, 3 and 1 September 2026; Canadian outbreak status from PHAC’s public health notices, checked 8 September 2026. Every figure reflects the named authority as of the date shown and should be re-verified against current CDC and PHAC data before being relied on.