Photo: Alamy
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters on Tuesday that the now-infamous Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora) outbreak in the United States is under control.
“We have the outbreak under control,” he said during a press conference this week. “We have done extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics, and we’ve identified the source of the outbreak. We and the companies that are involved have implemented a recall.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Cyclosporiasis is the intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora.
The outbreak has generated considerable news coverage for its extremely uncomfortable symptoms, which include diarrhea, loss of appetite, cramps, nausea, vomiting, and more, according to the FDA.
On July 17, Taylor Farms – which was initially pegged as the possible source of the parasite – voluntarily removed all Mexico-sourced iceberg lettuce from shelves in the U.S. market, initiating a recall that also affected the popular “Marketside” brand sold at Walmart.
However, on July 19, the FDA delivered an update on the sample of lettuce provided by Taylor Farms de Mexico. The lettuce tested positive for Cyclospora on July 18, but was later determined to be a “false positive.”
“FDA has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market,” the agency stated in a release. “FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples. As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.”
The agency clarified in a follow-up social media post that the false-positive lab sample didn’t change the basis for their ongoing investigation or “overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”
According to the CDC, since May 1, there have been 1,645 confirmed cases of Cyclosporiasis across 34 states, and there are more than 5,100 cases “that require further analysis to confirm the illness as domestically acquired Cyclosporiasis.”
