CDC and FDA grapple with cyclospora outbreak amid funding concerns

The United States is confronting a cyclospora outbreak that has sickened more than 7,000 people, primarily in Michigan and Ohio, testing the capacity of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed over 4,200 laboratory-verified cases, while state health departments report additional probable infections. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially linked the illness to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, but later retracted the positive test as a false positive, creating confusion about the source.

"It is difficult to quantify precisely, but it is clear that the cuts to federal funding over the past year or so have reduced our capacity to respond to outbreaks like this," said Craig Hedberg, co-director of the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence.

"At the beginning of this response, the cuts because of the USAID funding made that division less capable of responding fast, and that's not rocket science," said Dr. Daniel Jernigan, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said the FDA remained transparent with Taylor Farms and that the corrected lab result did not alter the agency’s findings. She added that regulators have "mounted a robust, science-based response" and are working with state health departments to identify additional sources.

Experts noted that cyclospora testing is prone to false positives and that the parasite’s biology makes outbreak tracing difficult. Funding cuts from the previous administration have reduced staff and resources at the CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, and the agency’s FoodNet surveillance program has scaled back reporting for several pathogens, including cyclospora.

The FDA’s food safety budget, about $1.17 billion, represents roughly 17 % of its total spending, a smaller share than programs overseeing drugs and devices. Critics argue that delayed public notices and limited communication capacity have hampered the response, citing a two-month gap between the first reported illnesses and the FDA’s public alert.

State health departments also feel the impact of reduced federal grants, with some reporting significant staffing declines. Nonetheless, Ohio’s health department has received assistance from CDC epidemic intelligence officers to support the investigation.

The outbreak continues to evolve, with the FDA reporting a new cluster linked to an unidentified product, indicating ongoing investigative efforts.