CHICOPEE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A cyclosporiasis outbreak has sickened more than 1,600 Americans since May, according to the CDC, with thousands more cases under investigation. The number is six times what was reported at the same point last year.

The parasite spreads through contaminated food or water and past outbreaks have been linked to raw produce. In Massachusetts, cases remain low, with fewer than 20 confirmed.

Farm-to-table operations in the region said Tuesday that customers have begun asking about the outbreak. Will McKinstry of McKinstry Market Garden in Chicopee said his staff has been directing shoppers toward locally sourced food. “We definitely had a few customers ask us questions about it now that it’s around,” he explained. “But we just tell them, buy local, buy from the farmer that you know.”

McKinstry said traceability is a key advantage of smaller operations. “We know where it’s been handled,” he noted. “The traceability is much easier than some of these big operations.”

Health officials recommend washing all produce with soap and water before eating it at home as a primary way to reduce the spread of the parasite.

At the Forest Park Farmers Market in Springfield, shoppers said they are already taking precautions. Springfield resident Marilyn Calvanese, who grows her own vegetables and regularly shops the market, said cleanliness is a habit. “I wash everything I get really well and I always have,” she noted.

Fellow Springfield resident Stephanie Valentin said she trusts smaller farms to maintain higher standards. “I feel like the smaller farms do better at taking care and making sure they’re following orders to keep their things clean,” she explained.

Anyone experiencing symptoms, including severe diarrhea, should contact a doctor. Cyclosporiasis is treatable with antibiotics.

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