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Veterinarian and epidemiologist Dr. Bruce Kaplan, formerly of the USDA's Office of Public Health and Science, as well as the co-founder of the One Health Initiative, writes: "This essential Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) was scaled back by HHS and CDC on July 1, 2025. Mandatory active reporting of six out of eight historically monitored pathogens (disease-causing agents) was stopped by CDC. Sen. Jon Ossoff and former CDC personnel argued that these structural changes severely damaged active public health monitoring, but RFK Jr. insisted that this removed 'redundant surveillance.' Thus, Cyclospora cayetanensis was completely eliminated from FoodNet surveillance.

"This mandatory multi-state tracking mechanism had been in continuous operation since 1997. FoodNet, a multi-agency sentinel network including CDC, FDA, USDA and 10 state health departments, was built specifically to detect active outbreak trends before they spiral into massive epidemics." For more details, go to: impakter.com/how-americas-public-health-cuts-fueled-the-cyclospora-outbreak.

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