Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Denies Cuts to CDC Amid US Cyclospora Infection, Claims Outbreak Is Under Control | Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed the cyclosporiasis outbreak in the United States is now under control.

He also denied there were any cuts to programs that might have monitored the cyclospora parasite ahead of widespread illness.

By the way, you can see the full list of recalled products here.

What cuts were supposedly made last year to the bacterial surveillance?

If you don’t know, there’s a program in the US that helps to track food safety.

According to the CDC, “The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, has been tracking trends for infections transmitted commonly through food since 1996. FoodNet provides a foundation for food safety policy and prevention efforts. It estimates the number of foodborne illnesses, monitors trends in incidence of specific foodborne illnesses over time, attributes illnesses to specific foods and settings, and disseminates this information.”

A spokesperson for the CDC confirmed to NBC News last July that the “Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) program has reduced surveillance to just two pathogens: salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.” Before those cuts, they allegedly also tracked the following: campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responds, claims there were no cuts in the surveillance program

“Those criticisms are invalid,” he said in response to these claims. “We had no cuts in the surveillance program. We did cuts in the FoodNet program, but they were for redundant surveillance.”

He added that he believes the outbreak is “under control.”

“We’ve identified the source of the outbreak, and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall,” he said.

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