While one major multistate Cyclospora outbreak has been making headlines, there are at least six others simmering -- and the sources haven't yet been identified in those cases.
Getting to the bottom of those outbreaks may be more difficult given that infrastructure for tracking cyclosporiasis cases was gutted by the Trump administration last year, an expert told MedPage Today.
The massive outbreak of Cyclospora tied to Taylor Farms' iceberg lettuce has reached 10,930 reported cases in 17 states, with the bulk of cases in Michigan. This outbreak has resulted in 454 hospitalizations and two deaths.
Six other outbreaks, which have resulted in a total of 270 cases, are under active investigation by FDA's Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) team. In these outbreaks, the source has not yet been identified.
Amid investigations, public health infrastructure is struggling to keep up with, and make sense of, outbreaks as they are happening.
