Senator Ossoff Sends Letter to HHS Secretary Regarding Cyclosporiasis Monitoring Cuts

Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressing concerns over cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, which has ceased monitoring of cyclospora. In his letter, Ossoff requested clarification on the decision to reduce surveillance to only two pathogens and sought updates on investigations related to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has affected over 11,000 cases across 41 states. Ossoff criticized Kennedy's lack of response, stating that it reflects poorly on public health efforts. The CDC has indicated that the decision to limit surveillance was based on changes in the surveillance landscape since the program's inception in 1995. Recently, the CDC expanded its investigation into the outbreak, linking it to contaminated produce from Mexico, with nearly 2,000 reported illnesses and 98 hospitalizations.