SerpApi.Org
There are at least 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cases and 7,400 additional cases that are being investigated, according to the CDC
NEED TO KNOW
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the cyclosporiasis outbreak is “under control” amid hundreds of hospitalizations and thousands of confirmed illnesses
- The statement came the same day as the CDC released data indicating 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cases and 7,400 additional cases under investigation
- While Taylor Farms’ shredded iceberg lettuce was linked to the outbreak, the FDA walked back its findings days after Taylor Farms executives visited the White House
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the outbreak of cyclosporiasis that’s sickened thousands and caused hundreds of hospitalizations is “under control” — the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data.
According to an update from the CDC on Tuesday, July 21, they have received reports of 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis and are aware of more than 7,400 additional cases that require further investigation. Many of the additional cases have been reported by Michigan and Ohio. At least 308 people have been hospitalized.
The CDC also noted that state data may include probable and confirmed cases, resulting in higher case counts than what CDC reports.
But comments from the Health and Human Services Secretary seem to indicate otherwise. “We do have the outbreak under control,” he said July 21, per ABC News. “We have an extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we’ve identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall.”
The source he’s referring to is shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms — specifically, the lettuce they supplied to Taco Bell. In response, the produce company voluntarily pulled the product from shelves. In areas hardest hit by the parasite, Taco Bell stopped serving lettuce and other fresh items like pico de gallo and guacamole.
But on July 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a Taylor Farms lettuce sample produced a false positive result. “As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.”
The FDA walked back its announcement that Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce was infected with the parasite just days after executives from the produce company met with President Donald Trump at the White House — and the timing sparked controversy, especially since the company donated $1 million to President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC in March 2025 and millions more to other Republican committees in recent years.
Despite the FDA statement, Taylor Farms is still continuing the recall. The FDA said in a statement on X that their “traceback investigation and outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico. “
The parasite infects the small intestine, causing “watery diarrhea” and “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” the CDC says, and the way food is contaminated is as unpleasant as the illness itself: By eating food or drinking water contaminated with feces that contains the parasite. Food may be contaminated by tainted water used by irrigation systems when it’s growing.
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The CDC ended mandatory reporting of the parasite last year amid widespread cuts; Now, only cases of Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli are required to be reported to the federal government. Kennedy told ABC News that criticisms of the administration’s tracking of Cyclospora are “invalid” and said they’re “still doing surveillance in this space.”
Read the original article on People
