As Cases of 'Explosive' Diarrhea Parasite Spike, CDC Made some Tracking of Cyclospora Optional Last Year
The surveillance cuts reduced required pathogen monitoring from eight to two and made cyclospora reporting optional before cases surged in 18 states.
- In July 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network monitoring from eight pathogens to two, preceding a nationwide Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened 1,000 people in Michigan and spread across 28 other states.
- Trump administration cutbacks made under the guise of "government efficiency" drove these changes. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. separately pushed out critical federal scientists, while CDC talking points blamed funding constraints for the decision.
- The parasitic infection causes "explosive" diarrhea, significantly impacting patients. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," said Reba Pousma, a Denver resident who likely has Cyclospora, noting she has used the bathroom over 40 times daily.
- State and federal investigators are reviewing food histories to identify a potential contamination source, though no specific food product is linked yet. Officials warn that national data likely underestimate the outbreak's true scale, with additional cases expected in the coming weeks.
- Broader agency changes included the 2025 dissolution of the CDC's Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria . Experts worry these restructuring efforts could reduce the agency's capacity to monitor and respond to parasitic infections, despite claims of continued commitment.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Diarrhoea Outbreak From Cyclospora Parasite Surges A Year After CDC Downgraded Parasite Tracking
A parasite that causes explosive, watery diarrhoea has sickened thousands of Americans this summer, as public health officials investigate one of the country's largest cyclosporiasis outbreaks in recent years, striking just a year after the federal government stopped requiring health departments to track it. Cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness spread through contaminated fresh produce and water, has driven case counts to extraordinary highs ac…
Trump administration stopped monitoring diarrhea parasite
Make America Healthy Again! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned about a growing parasitic outbreak that causes explosive diarrhea, which has delighted and disgusted the internet, because of course it has. It’s a little on the nose even for the low standards of public health we’ve become accustomed to under the Trump administration. But it’s really no laughing matter. Michigan alone has reported more than 1,250 cases of cy…
Why You’re Seeing More Cyclospora Warnings Right Now—and How to Protect Yourself
“Explosive diarrhea” isn’t on anyone’s summer wish list. Credit: Getty ImagesYou’ve probably already seen the headlines about the “explosive diarrhea” outbreak that’s impacting people around the country—and that definitely doesn’t sound like something that you want turning your summer into a major bummer.It’s all thanks to a foodborne illness called cyclosporiasis, which has been documented in 31 states, with 841 confirmed cases—including 86 peo…
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As cases of 'explosive' diarrhea parasite spike, CDC made some tracking of cyclospora optional last year
The CDC noted this week it would be publishing data about the diarrhea-causing parasite more frequently than in previous seasons given the recent increase in cases.
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