LOS ANGELES, July 22 (Xinhua) -- As cyclospora infections spread in the United States, health experts are sounding alarms over systemic failures in disease control, exacerbated by medical staff cuts.
While over 1,644 cases have been reported across the country, more experts said cuts to disease surveillance staff may have slowed the public health response.
Taylor Farms, a California-based lettuce supplier, announced Friday that it is voluntarily removing iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after U.S. health authorities identified the company as a possible source of the nationwide outbreak.
On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms tested positive for the parasitic illness.
However, the FDA corrected the result the following day, saying it should be considered a false positive. There were no confirmed positive sample results for cyclospora as of Sunday, it said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.
Experts warned that reduced federal outbreak-response capacity could complicate investigations.
Joel Barratt, a molecular parasitologist at Emory University, told Wired magazine that amid mass government layoffs last year implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab that responds to outbreaks of the parasite cyclospora was downsized from 11 people to three.
"Based on simple math, these outbreak responses -- which require rapid, timely responses -- are going to be greatly diminished," the former lab director told the magazine.
The CDC rejected the claim, saying the laboratory has not been affected by workforce reductions and a dedicated team is supporting the response.
However, media reported that the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network reduced surveillance last year to just two pathogens from eight, making cyclospora monitoring optional.
Jill Roberts, a professor of environmental health microbiology at the University of South Florida, said the reduction left investigators reacting to reported illnesses rather than identifying warning signs earlier.
"We have to be reactive instead of proactive," Roberts said. "An incredibly important prevention method is to get those surveillance systems back up and running."
According to the CDC, cyclosporiasis is caused by several species of the microscopic parasite cyclospora, and people can become infected by consuming food or water that contains the parasite. ■