As of July 21, 2026, the “CDC has received reports of 4,173 laboratory-confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis and is aware of more than 7,400 additional cases that are not yet laboratory confirmed and require further investigation and analysis”. The US FDA announced on July 22, 2026, that it was investigating another outbreak of cyclosporiasis, tied to a currently unidentified source. Consumer Reports noted that health officials in North Carolina reported that some cases appear to be linked to parsley and cilantro, alongside lettuce, as a possible source of the parasite. CDC announced July 24, 2026, that : Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Michigan.

The news onslaught seems to be never-ending, even as US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, claimed that the crisis was under control. Perhaps it would be less confusing if the CDC hadn’t made surveillance tracking of this parasite and other pathogens optional last year and laid off multiple people due to DOGE-related cuts.  In addition to these difficulties, it is often more challenging to trace, especially because cyclospora has a long incubation period, and can’t be cultured in labs. Public health officials have to rely on interviews with people on what they consumed, and people’s memories can be faulty.  

Here’s what we do know:

• Taylor Farms, which was previously linked to an E.coli outbreak sourced to raw onions consumed at a McDonald’s, and was successfully sued in a class-action lawsuit in 2021 by farmworkers alleging multiple wage and hour violations, is the primary target of investigation for this cyclospora outbreak. Although Taylor Farms prematurely celebrated a “false positive” test, the FDA confirmed that a supplier from Mexico to Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce is still considered the source for the cyclospora parasite causing the outbreaks.  

• Taylor Farms is one of the largest suppliers of produce to US grocery stores and restaurants, including, but not limited to: Safeway, Walmart, Target, Taco Bell, Chipotle, McDonald’s, and restaurants like Olive Garden. 

• Taylor Farms appears to have slow-walked its response to the “explosive diarrhea” outbreak, replete with confusing messaging and decisions, and drawing attention to its political donations to the Trump administration and spending on anti-regulatory lobbying. 

How to protect yourself and others:

• Should you avoid vegetables and fruit this summer? After reviewing various commentary from infectious disease experts and epidemiologists, the answer is unequivocally: No. CDPH reports that CA is not experiencing an outbreak related to the cyclospora parasite, and encourages Californians to follow food and safety guidelines and thoroughly wash their produce. Wash hands both before and after handling produce so as to avoid transferring the parasite. If purchasing whole heads of lettuce, remove the outer few layers, as that is where the parasite is likeliest to sit. 

• For those who are immunocompromised, it is recommended to cook vegetables and herbs when possible.  According to Your Local Epidemiologist, skipping bagged salads and salad kids would be prudent. 

• In the meantime, Congressman Josh Gottheimer announced a bipartisan legislative effort aimed at combating food outbreaks like Cyclospora with the Foodborne Illness Rapid Response Act, which would 1. Prevent staffing cuts within the CDC responsible for foodborne illnesses for one year after any outbreak, 2. Demand the restoration of mandatory federal foodborne illness surveillance that was made optional by the Trump administration, and 3. Ensure that state and local inspectors have access to the same information as federal regulators during outbreaks. Demand that your local representative support and pass this legislation ASAP. 

Recent updates:

• The American public made their opposition to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed overhaul of 2 CFR Part 200 loud and clear: 94 percent oppose the proposed rule and only 6 percent support it, with fewer than one percent marked as unclear.  We sincerely appreciate all of you who wrote in and contributed to the 496,805 comments to oppose these changes. 

• Congressman Mark DeSaulnier announced that he secured federal funding for multiple projects, including: $1.061 million for a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) Expansion Project, to add staffing to respond to urgent behavioral health crises, $1 million for the Contra Costa Crisis Services Hub Project, for renovations on a County-owned building to establish the Contra Costa Crisis Hub, and $900,000 for the Collaborative Care Implementation Project to support coordination of care and education of behavioral health staff across the county serving the needs of those who need it most. 

ICYMI:

• 26 former Meta employees filed suit against the organization, alleging that Meta used AI to target workers on medical, parental, or family leave for layoffs. 

• As a result of ProPublica’s investigation into declining rates of vitamin K shots given to newborn babies and resulting in increased rates of brain bleeds, lawmakers are calling for the CDC to start tracking and monitoring vitamin K shot refusals. 

• Kalshi is launching a biotech prediction markets pilot program, meaning you can now bet on the outcomes of clinical trials and FDA regulatory decisions. 

• This item is falling a bit under the radar due to all the attention on the OMB. The NIH is proposing to cap the number of simultaneous research grants per principal investigator to as low as 2. Researchers are reliant on funding and grants from multiple sources to be able to move forward with their work. Comments on this proposal are open until August 3, 2026 for people to oppose this draconian change.

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