So, you’re here because you’ve probably heard of the diarrhea-inducing lettuce that has likely reached your state’s distribution system and fast-food chains. Over 6,100 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the state of Michigan alone, with around 100 hospitalizations as of July 20th, and the infectious outbreak has only grown nationwide over the past two weeks. Exactly how did we get here, and what does our current situation tell us about where we could be headed in terms of public health crises?

Firstly, we need to understand cyclosporiasis. Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection that is caused by the microscopic Cyclospora parasite, which can be contracted by consuming food or water that has been contaminated with fecal matter (the latter typically tends to be irrigation water, which is sourced for produce and crop watering). Cyclosporiasis is a foodborne illness, meaning that human-to-human transmission is unlikely. Previously, outbreaks have been attributed to imported fresh produce, including greens like salad mix and basil in addition to raspberries, snow peas, and cilantro. The most common symptom of cyclospora infection is diarrhea/watery stool, followed by “loss of appetite, stomach cramps, weight loss, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness,” according to the Department of Health. What is troubling about cyclosporiasis is that its incubation period is so broad, ranging from 2 to 14 days. Most infected people will begin exhibiting symptoms within one week, long after they can recall what they ate during the past weeks—which makes it more difficult to accurately track and trace back.

As recently as July 20th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that the testing conducted on lettuce samples from food products supplier Taylor Farms gave a false positive—meaning that no product has been confidently identified as the source of the parasitic outbreak. Previously, Taylor Farms’ shredded iceberg lettuce was presumed to be the primary culprit in the spread of the illness. The lettuce is said to have been sourced from central Mexico and distributed to Taco Bell locations in five states ‌(Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are multiple reported outbreaks on a national scale (within 34 states as per the CDC) that seem to be unrelated to this particular distribution area. This past Thursday, Taco Bell, one of the affected vendors that received fresh produce from Taylor Farms, released a statement asserting that it would be “indefinitely [removing]” potentially affected lettuce from its supply chain in order to take remedial measures. 

But while suspected companies like Taylor Farms and Taco Bell are taking commendable measures, it is important to understand that this issue is not just a Taco Bell issue. It is also not an isolated incident—after all, Taylor Farms is one of the nation’s largest lettuce distributors, supplying fast-food giants like Taco Bell’s parent company Yum! Brands, as well as McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Subway, among other names. Rather, it is demonstrative of a larger systemic failure brought onto American consumers by the dismantling of public health infrastructure. 

Much like Seattle Times columnist Naomi Ishisaka says, “It’s not the first time we have seen foodborne illnesses in the U.S., but [it is concerning] that this outbreak is taking advantage of our weakened public health system.” This epidemic is not unique, but the circumstances in which it has spread are less than ideal, especially as the Trump Administration has consistently devalued medical and health experts, enacted mass layoffs and budget cuts for agencies responsible for public health outreach and epidemiology/microbial tracing, and placed its efforts into spreading disinformation and discouraging Americans from trusting scientists. “Based on simple math, these outbreak responses—which require rapid, timely responses—are going to be greatly diminished… Cyclospora is just one piece. It’s making the news right now, but there are other, more dangerous pathogens than cyclospora,” Joel Barratt, the molecular parasitologist who previously led the now-downsized CDC team responsible for responding to cyclospora outbreaks, tells WIRED. All of this to say, the current lack of clarity and insecurity around cyclosporiasis is no accident; in fact, we have been left in the dark by design.

Consider the effects of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), for instance. DOGE’s dismantling of agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025 caused a catastrophic chain of events whose consequences are devastating for American welfare and public health response systems. Having been established as we knew it in 1961 under President Kennedy, USAID’s mission as a new “program of social and economic development” was to secure “a decade of development on which will depend, substantially, the kind of world in which we and our children shall live.” USAID funded and participated in global humanitarian efforts that “notably [increased] funding for public health initiatives, education, and disaster relief”—as per research by Our World in Data and the United Nations (compiled by historian Amanda McVety for Ohio State University), aid-supported health programs helped global life expectancy rise (from 46.4 in 1950 to 73.2 in 2023) and infant mortality rates decline (a decrease from 22.7% to 3.6%, again from 1950 to 2023). These types of results, McVety says, were achieved “at a comparatively low cost to American taxpayers,” as the $43.8 billion disbursed by USAID in the fiscal year 2024 only accounted for around 0.7% of the deferral budget. USAID-funded projects (most of which are now defunct thanks to the budget cuts and layoffs implemented by DOGE) were not only beneficial on a global scale, but also served Americans. After all, USAID was also responsible for helping fund domestic agencies like the CDC, which was likewise bludgeoned with layoffs and budget slashes from DOGE—according to The Guardian’s Melody Schreiber, “the CDC has lost about one-third of its staff [since the Trump Administration’s targeting], and the majority of permanent leadership positions are empty… public health workers are simultaneously tracking several other potential threats with limited resources.”

How exactly does all of this tie back to the current cyclosporiasis outbreak? Well, the reductions-in-force and financial cuts affected already underfunded and low-staffed research and public health departments (the cyclospora and parasitic research teams among them). Add the millions of Americans who have lost the health insurance and coverage they previously had through assistance programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and it’s clear why the federal response to this outbreak has been so weak.

There is limited information at the moment when it comes to tracking and reporting just how many cases have been found across the United States. As for now, try to avoid infected produce, and try to find comfort in the fact that this current administration decided to risk your health and your life for their own gain—surely, that’s a good enough reason.