Key facts
- Over 2,800 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in Michigan and Ohio.
- The parasitic infection causes symptoms including watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
- Experts suggest that funding cuts to public health departments by the Trump administration may have exacerbated reporting delays.
- The CDC has reported 843 confirmed and 1,500 suspected cases nationwide, with 86 hospitalizations.
- Michigan has reported the highest number of cases with 2,640, followed by Ohio with 177.
- The Trump administration also reduced the scope of the FoodNet program, which monitors foodborne illnesses.
An outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection causing symptoms like watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss, has surged to over 2,800 cases in Michigan and Ohio. Health officials are urging thorough washing of produce, particularly leafy greens, snow peas, herbs, and raspberries.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 843 confirmed and 1,500 suspected cases across 31 states, with 86 individuals hospitalized. The CDC anticipates the national case count will rise due to typical delays in disease investigation and reporting, which can be exacerbated by the infection's two-week incubation period and a six-week reporting lag.
Experts, including Barbara Kowalcyk from George Washington University, suggest that funding cuts to state and local health departments, implemented by the Trump administration, have likely worsened these delays. Kowalcyk noted that such cuts reduce capacity for outbreak response. Michigan's chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, confirmed a linked outbreak is occurring.
In addition to grant cuts to health departments, the Trump administration also reduced the scope of the FoodNet program in July 2025. This program previously monitored eight foodborne pathogens, including cyclospora, but its remit was narrowed to focus only on shiga toxin-producing E. coli and salmonella. Gail Hansen, a public health consultant, stated that this reduction hinders states' ability to coordinate information and data across state lines, potentially reverting to a pre-FoodNet era of surveillance.