Record cyclosporiasis outbreak tests the response of a 'weakened' health system
A record-breaking cyclosporiasis outbreak in the U.S. has been linked to contaminated lettuce from Mexico. Experts argue that federal funding cuts and staffing shortages have severely hampered the government's ability to investigate and contain the foodborne illness.
Why it matters
It highlights the potential public health risks caused by reduced government oversight and the degradation of food safety infrastructure.
Rose Wong for NPR Environmental health expert Bob Custard spent four decades working with local governments on things like clean water, rabies prevention and food safety. He also represents 160 others doing that kind of work as president of the West Virginia Association of Sanitarians .
Health What Cyclospora does inside the gut and how it gets there With the largest-ever cyclosporiasis outbreak concentrated in nearby states, Custard – now a public health consultant – said federal funding cuts have left local food safety programs across the state grossly understaffed. Health officials are unable to keep pace with the interviews and investigations needed to track and contain the diarrhea-causing bug. "It's like we have a house, and we decided to take smoke detectors out," Custard said of the current approach to foodborne illness.
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