RFK Jr says cyclospora outbreak is ‘under control’ after FDA recall reversal

Health secretary says source has been identified despite experts warning infections are likely to keep rising The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has said the ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis – the illness caused by the cyclospora parasite that causes watery and explosive diarrhea – is “under control”. Kennedy made the remarks one day after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did an about-face on a 27-state recall of shredded iceberg lettuce, calling the reported product a “false positive”. “We have the outbreak under control,” Kennedy said at a press briefing on healthcare fraud on Tuesday. “We have done extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we’ve identified the source of the outbreak. And the companies that are involved have all implemented a recall.” Thirty-four states have reported cyclosporiasis cases this summer, with the midwest heavily affected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although differing numbers from states and the CDC make comparison difficult, this is probably the largest cyclosporiasis outbreak ever documented in the United States. The most recent national data from the CDC,