As a cyclospora outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce reaches nine states, Americans have coined the term “lettuce-gate” on social media. Public skepticism remains regarding whether the health crisis is being adequately managed.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently attempted to mitigate worries about the parasitic illness. He reported that the outbreak’s source has been identified, and implicated companies have issued recalls. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed that hundreds more individuals have been infected, bringing the total nationwide count to 1,947 as of Friday. At least 98 individuals have required hospitalization, although no deaths have occurred, according to the CDC.

“Is anyone else, like, deathly afraid to eat lettuce right now?” a user questioned in a TikTok video.

Health authorities believe that the affected iceberg lettuce originated from a Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico. Taylor Farms released a statement on Saturday, noting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not confirmed cyclospora in its product samples as of Friday.

“When questions arose regarding the source of the recent Cyclospora outbreak, we promptly removed all potentially tainted products from the marketplace. Out of caution, we issued a broader recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from the region,” a Taylor Farms spokesperson stated. The company also temporarily suspended iceberg lettuce sourcing and production from central Mexico. Taco Bell, a customer, has removed the affected lettuce from its restaurants.

The Mexican government announced on Friday that its tests found no evidence of cyclospora at Taylor Farms. The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks tested 10 lettuce samples and four water samples.

Confusion intensified last week when the FDA reported a false positive for cyclospora in a lettuce sample from Taylor Farms. Yet, by Monday, the FDA’s investigation continued to point to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms facilities in central Mexico.

While illnesses have been confirmed in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, health officials suspect multiple outbreaks across 41 states. There have been over 4,100 laboratory-confirmed cases and 7,400 suspected cases since May 1. The CDC expects the number of confirmed cases to increase, warning that it can take up to six weeks for federal and state officials to link sick individuals to an outbreak.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite usually transmitted via contaminated food or water. It leads to cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness characterized by severe diarrhea that can be “explosive.” Symptoms may take two weeks to manifest.

“I don’t think we can say that this is under control yet,” stated Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist for Hartford HealthCare. “Even if this lettuce was implicated, it doesn’t mean that other produce is not implicated as well.”

The FDA reported another cyclospora outbreak on Thursday, linked to unspecified products. North Carolina health officials are investigating more than 560 cases reported since May 1, which may be linked to parsley, cilantro, and lettuce.

Kiki Intarasuwan and Emily Mae Czachor contributed to this report.