Hundreds of people across the country are suffering from a painful foodborne illness that can cause weeks of severe stomach cramps, nausea, exhaustion, and frequent, sometimes "explosive," diarrhea.
Just one year before this alarming surge, the Trump administration scaled back a decades-old surveillance program that helped states track Cyclospora and other dangerous foodborne pathogens.
Sign the petition urging the Trump administration and Congress to take this outbreak seriously and restore comprehensive foodborne illness monitoring!
Cases of cyclosporiasis have now been reported across at least 18 states. Michigan alone has reported more than 700 cases, while hundreds more have been identified in states including Ohio, Illinois, New York, and North Carolina.
Yet investigators still have not identified a specific food responsible.
For nearly 30 years, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, helped the CDC and state health departments monitor eight major causes of foodborne illness. But in 2025, required monitoring was reduced to just two pathogens, making surveillance of Cyclospora and several other dangerous pathogens optional.
This outbreak should be a warning. When people are getting sick across numerous states and investigators still cannot identify the contaminated food, the answer is not less monitoring and fewer public health resources. The administration must treat this crisis with urgency, communicate clearly with the public, and restore the expertise and surveillance systems needed to protect Americans.
Sign the petition now to urge the Trump administration and Congress to fully investigate the outbreak, restore comprehensive FoodNet monitoring and give public health agencies the resources they need to find the source before more people become sick.
