HHS Secretary declares cyclosporiasis outbreak under control
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary, said the cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce is being managed after a recall, despite earlier criticism of agency responses.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters on Tuesday that the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak is "under control" after officials identified the source and the implicated companies began a recall.
"We've identified the source of the outbreak, and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall," Kennedy said during a briefing on health-care fraud.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both overseen by the HHS secretary, have faced scrutiny over delays in public alerts and source tracing. The outbreak has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from central Mexico supplied by Taylor Farms, with some of the contaminated product having been served at Taco Bell locations.
Taylor Farms has recalled the affected lettuce, and Taco Bell has removed it from its restaurants. The FDA later clarified a false-positive test result that had caused confusion but reaffirmed its suspicion that the company's lettuce remains the source.
More than 1,644 cases have been reported since mid-May, resulting in 94 hospitalizations and no deaths, according to CDC data.
"Those criticisms are invalid. We had no cuts in the surveillance program. We did cuts in the FoodNet program, but they were for redundant surveillance," Kennedy responded to questions about agency staffing and program changes.