17,000 Cyclospora Cases Amid Defunded Research

A massive outbreak of Cyclospora, a foodborne parasite, has sickened more than 17,000 Americans across 20 states this summer, even as key federal research projects aimed at understanding and combating the parasite are being defunded and relocated. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 17,180 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis acquired in the United States between May 1 and August 24, 2026, a dramatic increase from the 1,180 cases reported during the same period in 2025. The agency also recorded 922 hospitalizations and two deaths among this season's confirmed cases.