Barbadian farming and public health authorities are monitoring the potential impact of a parasitic infectious disease outbreak in the US that has been linked to severe, or ‘explosive’ diarrhoea.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Tuesday that at least 1 645 people across 34 American states have been infected by the cyclosporiasis outbreak, resulting in 141 people being hospitalised.

Cyclospora is a parasite that causes intestinal illness and is transmitted through contaminated food and water, causing severe diarrhoea. It is not thought to be transmissible from one infected person to another.