RFK Jr. says cyclosporiasis outbreak under control, source identified

Topline

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday stated that an ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak, which has sickened thousands across the United States, is "under control." He also dismissed broader criticism of the government's response as "invalid."

Key Facts

• "We do have the outbreak under control," Kennedy said Tuesday, noting that officials have identified the source of the outbreak and that the companies involved have implemented recalls.
• Kennedy's claim that a source had been identified, based on "extensive forensics" testing, follows a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) statement earlier this week acknowledging a false positive result from a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms. This leaves no clearly identified source for the outbreak.
• The FDA stopped short of clearing Taylor Farms' link to the cyclosporiasis outbreak and stated it was working with the brand to "ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market," even though none of the tested produce has yielded a positive sample result.
• In response to a question about criticisms that the Trump administration delayed notifying the public about the outbreak and that cuts to federal funding last year ended mandatory reporting among some states for six of eight pathogens on a list—including cyclospora—Kennedy said: "Those criticisms are invalid."
• Kennedy argued that there were no funding cuts to the Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network that would end its tracking of cyclospora, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted it made reporting of cyclospora optional in 2025.

This is a developing story.