RFK Jr. says cyclosporiasis outbreak is 'under control' amid at least 1,600 cases in 5 states
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News on Tuesday that the multi-state cyclosporiasis outbreak in the U.S. is "under control."
It marks one of the first times Kennedy has commented publicly on the parasitic intestinal illness since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was investigating the outbreak along with federal and local health partners.
"We do have the outbreak under control," Kennedy said. "We have an extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we've identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall."
The CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have linked the outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 people in five states to shredded iceberg lettuce at some Taco Bell locations. The lettuce was supplied by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico.
The company has voluntarily recalled dozens of lettuce products across 27 states and said it won't source iceberg lettuce from central Mexico for "the rest of the growing season."
Over the weekend, the FDA said a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, which was not part of the recall, tested positive. However, the agency later clarified that, during a re-review of the sample results, it determined the result was a false positive. Taylor Farms issued a statement on Sunday saying "we were informed that FDA made a mistake."
Health officials are continuing to investigate other cases as well as any other potential sources of the illnesses. No other sources have been identified for the domestically-acquired infections being reported in 29 other states.
Some lawmakers, including Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., have criticized the federal response to the outbreak, accusing Kennedy. of "undermining food safety" with recent changes to food safety programs.
In a letter sent to Kennedy last week, Ossoff said the CDC's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, no longer requires reporting the parasite that causes cyclosporiasis.
The CDC ended mandatory reporting last year. Beginning July 1, 2025, reporting became optional for all pathogens except Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, according to the CDC.
Previously, the FoodNet surveillance system traced a variety of foodborne illnesses across 10 states, making up 16% of the U.S. population, the CDC said. Doctors are still required to report cases to state health departments, which get fed into the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.
"Your foolish and self-indulgent demolition of critical public health programs puts Americans at risk," Ossoff wrote. "The Trump Administration is actively undermining food safety."
Ossoff asked why Cyclospora tracking through FoodNet was terminated and if the CDC has restored tracking.
Kennedy told ABC News criticisms of the federal response are "invalid" saying they're "still doing surveillance in this space."
"We had no cuts in our surveillance program. We did cuts in the FoodNet program, but they were for redundant surveillance," Kennedy said. "And all this space will tell you that we're still doing forensics. We're still doing surveillance in all this space."
