100 signatures reached
To: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Acting Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Trump administration
Tell the CDC: Restore tracking of cyclospora and other foodborne illnesses!
A nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis—an intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis—is spreading across at least 34 states. The infection causes frequent and sometimes explosive diarrhea that can last for weeks. As of mid-July, states like Michigan have reported thousands of cases, compared to just 249 confirmed nationwide by this time last year.
This surge is happening right as our ability to track the parasite has been gutted. Last year, the Trump administration made surveillance of cyclospora optional through FoodNet, a partnership between the CDC, the USDA, the FDA, and state health departments that had mandated tracking of the parasite since 1997.
Tell the CDC and the Trump administration: Restore mandatory tracking of cyclospora and other foodborne illnesses now!
This surge is happening right as our ability to track the parasite has been gutted. Last year, the Trump administration made surveillance of cyclospora optional through FoodNet, a partnership between the CDC, the USDA, the FDA, and state health departments that had mandated tracking of the parasite since 1997.
Tell the CDC and the Trump administration: Restore mandatory tracking of cyclospora and other foodborne illnesses now!
Why is this important?
FoodNet has tracked foodborne illnesses since 1995, giving health officials the data they need to spot outbreaks early, understand their scope, and respond before they spiral. Cyclospora surveillance was part of that system for nearly three decades—until the Trump administration quietly made it optional last year.
The consequences are playing out right now.
We’re currently facing one of the largest cyclosporiasis outbreaks in years, in dozens of states, with far less visibility into how it’s spreading than we had a year ago. And it’s no surprise after Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE slashed the funding and workforce behind our public health systems.
Cutting surveillance doesn’t save money in any meaningful way. It just means outbreaks grow bigger and more dangerous before anyone notices. Americans deserve a public health system that catches foodborne illness early; we need more tracking, not less.
Sign the petition now calling on the CDC and the Trump administration to restore full, mandatory tracking of cyclospora and other foodborne illnesses!
The consequences are playing out right now.
We’re currently facing one of the largest cyclosporiasis outbreaks in years, in dozens of states, with far less visibility into how it’s spreading than we had a year ago. And it’s no surprise after Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE slashed the funding and workforce behind our public health systems.
Cutting surveillance doesn’t save money in any meaningful way. It just means outbreaks grow bigger and more dangerous before anyone notices. Americans deserve a public health system that catches foodborne illness early; we need more tracking, not less.
Sign the petition now calling on the CDC and the Trump administration to restore full, mandatory tracking of cyclospora and other foodborne illnesses!