Cyclospora outbreak has me worried about public health cuts

After the collective trauma of the COVID pandemic, hearing the words “outbreak” and “epidemic” pop up again is more than a bit alarming.

This time, though, it’s not a potentially deadly and highly contagious respiratory infection but cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that can cause miserable and debilitating gastrointestinal distress and explosive diarrhea for weeks. 

Federal health officials finally determined late last week that infected lettuce served at Taco Bell was the source of much of the outbreak, but already thousands had been sickened across 34 states. Over 100 people have been hospitalized by the illness in Michigan alone. Authorities warned there may be other sources of the parasite beyond the Taylor Foods lettuce at the fast food chain. So far, local health officials have not seen an increase in cyclosporiasis cases in our region.

It’s not the first time we have seen foodborne illnesses in the U.S., but I worry that this outbreak is taking advantage of our weakened public health system.

The outbreak comes at a time when the federal government has been gutting staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services — all agencies responsible for protecting the country’s health and safety. NPR reported in December the CDC had lost a quarter to a third of its staff since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. 

In July 2025, the CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, removed all but two of eight diseases it monitored — including cyclospora — from required reporting. Today, just salmonella and E. coli are required.

The New York Times reported last week that in 2026, the state and local health departments that rely on federal grants received just 40% of what they asked for to monitor, detect and respond to foodborne illnesses.

In April of last year, the Trump administration cut $11 billion in federal grants, including roughly $130 million in Washington, and the bulk of cuts were for disease monitoring and epidemic response hubs. The decision led the state to join 22 others and the District of Columbia in suing to block the cuts. A judge temporarily agreed with the states but the impact to local public health agencies persists.

The state Department of Health said in an email that within the Foodborne, Waterborne, and Enteric Disease Program, federal funding had remained relatively level, but that “increases in our costs have constrained our ability to support local health jurisdictions (LHJs), who are experiencing reductions in public health funding.” 

Dr. Sandra Valenciano, the director and health officer of Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in an email, “Federal cuts to public health systems put all of us at risk. When public health systems are working well, they’re invisible. This national cyclosporiasis outbreak is just one small example of what happens when these vital systems are curtailed.”

She said with many other federal public health structures hobbled, it would only be “a matter of time before the consequences appear in the form of increased illness.”

Valenciano is also concerned about the consequences of other federal cuts.

For example, she said normally the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices would be meeting now to make recommendations about fall respiratory illness vaccinations, but that is not happening. And after cuts to funding for immunizations and vaccine recommendation changes, the U.S. was “on track to lose our measles elimination status later this year.”

Work to eliminate racial and other health disparities has also suffered after being targeted by the Trump administration’s relentless attacks on what it considers diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Public Health – Seattle & King County said a CDC health disparities grant had been cut, which funded a number of culturally specific programs. Other impacts to its health disparities work included cutting mobile vaccinations for people who are homebound and limiting free vaccine clinics for people who are homeless, new to the U.S. or uninsured. 

In the past, cyclospora outbreaks have been linked to feces-contaminated irrigation water and then spread through the food supply, particularly fresh vegetables. This speaks to the importance of also having strong health and safety protocols for those who work with food — from farmworkers to cooks. Public Health – Seattle & King County said when adequate labor standards like restrooms, sick leave, etc., are not available for workers, it can have a downstream effect on food safety as well. “The upstream inequities result in a huge price (literal and figurative) for the broader population,” they wrote.

Food safety and public health impact all of us. When one worker has substandard working conditions or one community lacks access to healthcare and vaccines, we are all at risk. When the federal government weakens its oversight and protection against foodborne illness, we make our society more vulnerable.

As Valenciano said, “Unfortunately, diseases don’t obey borders, and we rely on a strong national system to keep our community healthy and safe.”