Trump’s CDC Stopped Monitoring Parasite Before Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced its foodborne illness surveillance program, FoodNet, from monitoring eight pathogens to two, a year before a significant outbreak of cyclosporiasis occurred. This reduction, which made monitoring specific pathogens optional, took place as cyclospora infections surged across the U.S., with states like Michigan reporting hundreds of cases. Concurrently, the CDC dissolved its Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, which had previously handled work on such infections, leading to a reallocation of staff and responsibilities within the agency. Investigators are actively working to identify the source of the current cyclosporiasis outbreak, which has affected at least 18 states, though a definitive link to a specific food product has not yet been established.
John Q. Hosedrinker