Health Secretary RFK Jr. says cyclosporiasis outbreak is 'under control'

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that the cyclosporiasis outbreak is “under control,” and rejected claims that his changes to FoodNet played a role in the spread of the illness.

Last July, under the Trump administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made it optional for the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which monitors food poisoning infections in the U.S., to track cyclospora and six other pathogens.

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Expertshave argued that the move made it even more difficult to identify the parasite and its origin, and, consequently, to contain the outbreak.

Kennedy, who leads the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, called the criticisms “invalid” during a news briefing.  

“We have done extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics and we have identified the source of the outbreak. We, and the companies that are involved, have implemented a recall,” Kennedy said. “We did cuts in the FoodNet program, but they were for redundant surveillance.”