US health officials say cyclospora outbreak has ended as number of reported cases declines
Packages of Taylor Farms salad greens are displayed at a Safeway store on July 16, 2026, in Kings Beach, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the cyclospora outbreak that plagued thousands of people across the country during the summer months has ended.
The outbreak, which was eventually tied to iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms, sickened almost 13,000 people in 21 states. Two people died and at least 570 people were hospitalized due to cyclospora illness.
The FDA announced in July that it was investigating cyclospora illnesses linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia after several cases of cyclospora had been reported in late June.
The CDC said Friday more than 1,000 cases were reported in a single day at the height of the outbreak, before the contaminated lettuce was recalled by Taylor Farms on July 17. The illness notably made headlines for causing “explosive diarrhea.”
Citing a decline in infections linked to the outbreak — fewer than two per day in August — and all contaminated Taylor Farms products being taken out of circulation, the CDC said it considers this specific outbreak over. It notes the best-by dates for all products linked to the outbreak have passed and are no longer available in stores or restaurants.
The FDA will continue to investigate the cause of the contamination, which has not yet been identified.
Ebola survivors leave the ALIMA Ebola Treatment Center at Rwampara General Hospital following their recovery from the disease, as a health worker sits beside a disinfectant sprayer and disinfects their shoes during discharge procedures on June 16, 2026 in Rwampara near Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Michel Lunanga/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 1,000 Ebola cases as the country’s deadly outbreak continues.
The DRC Ministry of Health reported 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 confirmed deaths as of Sunday evening. There are 365 patients either hospitalized or in isolation, according to the ministry.
Contact tracing remains a concern, officials said. The Ministry of Health said only 58% of identified contacts have been followed up with, far below the desired 90% to 95% target needed to contain the outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Bonheur Baeni, project manager for the Ebola emergency for the humanitarian NGO CARE, told ABC News that there has been a great amount of misinformation in affected communities that has made it difficult to contain the virus.
“It is in fact among the great challenges, the misinformation that is characterized by rumors, rumors that circulate on social networks, rumors that also circulate mouth-to-mouth,” he told ABC News in French. “It really makes the population resistant.”
Baeni said the group is working with the Ministry of Health and other partners to engage with the community and answer questions that people have. They are also working with trusted leaders within the community to help combat the misinformation.
“You see that it creates a climate of trust,” Baeni said. “It creates a confidence climate because it’s their brother, it’s a member of the community.”
The Ministry of Health wrote on X that “response teams continue active investigations, epidemiological surveillance, and prevention actions in affected areas.”
Health officials added that eight more people have recovered from Ebola, bringing the total number of recoveries to 100.
Meanwhile, UNICEF warned on Monday that an estimated 2.95 million children and adolescents aged 18 and under — representing 54% of the population in 31 affected health zones — are at risk from Ebola and the breakdown of essential services in the eastern DRC.
“Our teams in Ituri [province] have met children who have lost their mothers, and in some cases both parents, to Ebola,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement. “Children are trying to make sense of the threat while surrounded by rumors and online misinformation.”
UNICEF said children and adolescents make up about 15% of confirmed Ebola cases and more than 25% of confirmed deaths in the eastern DRC as of June 19, and that children and adolescents with confirmed Ebola are almost twice as likely to die as adults
In Ituri province, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, dozens of children have been orphaned, according to UNICEF. The agency said that 135 of those children are receiving support, including psychosocial care.
In neighboring Uganda, there are at least 20 confirmed cases, in large part linked to cross-border transmission from the DRC, and two deaths, according to UNICEF. The agency said children have also been affected in Uganda, with at least one child who has tested positive and 19 children under quarantine monitoring.
“Children are especially vulnerable because they depend on caregivers and cannot distance themselves from a sick parent or sibling in the same way that an adult can,” Russell said. “To better protect children, we need sustained access, and the resources needed to reach every affected community.”
ABC News’ Dada Jovanovic and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, to be the Director of the CDC, April 16, 2026. (Department of Health and Human Services)
(WASHINGTON) — Dr. Erica Schwartz is set to appear before a Senate committee on Wednesday for her confirmation hearing as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Schwartz, a formal deputy surgeon general, was nominated by President Donald Trump in April. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, describing Schwartz as “incredibly talented.”
Schwartz is the fourth person named or nominated as head of the CDC since last summer. If confirmed by the Senate, Schwartz will replace Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, who took over as acting CDC director in February.
Schwartz earned a medical degree from Brown University and served in the U.S. Navy until 2005.
She served in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, as the Coast Guard Chief Medical Officer and as Deputy Surgeon General from 2019 to early 2021, during the first Trump administration.
“I was very pleased to see Dr. Schwartz nominated to be the next director of the CDC,” Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC during the Obama administration, told ABC News. “What struck me is how refreshing it felt to see someone nominated for this job who actually has deep experience in public health and has the credentials necessary to lead a complex public health organization.”
Besser expressed concern about whether Schwartz, if confirmed, will have the independence from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make public health recommendations, referencing a previous CDC director: Susan Monarez.
Monarez was confirmed as CDC director in July 2025, but she held the post for less than a month. Monarez was fired by Kennedy for reportedly not rubber-stamping the health secretary’s vaccine agenda or firing high-ranking CDC leaders whom he opposed.
The turmoil led to both Kennedy and Monarez appearing in front of Senate committees to address the ousting.
At a Senate hearing, Kennedy denied telling Monarez to accept vaccine recommendations without scientific evidence and claimed she was fired in part because she told him she was untrustworthy.
Besser said he expects that Schwartz will be asked by members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) about her perspectives on vaccinations, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the rise of measles in the U.S.
“Those are some of the critical areas I think she’ll be asked about. There are so many other areas that are of concern to those who have relied on the CDC to prevent illness and promote health,” he said.
Sean Kaufman will appear before the Senate HELP Committee for his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Kaufman was nominated to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which was recently absorbed under CDC as part of an HHS reorganization in 2025.
Kaufman has claimed without evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine caused “excessive death and injury … in the United States and globally.” Health officials have said COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective following clinical trials that involved tens of thousands of people and have since helped save millions of lives.
“What concerns me about Mr. Kaufman is that he has expressed very strong anti-vaccine views, and the ASPR is responsible for the strategic national stockpile,” Besser said. “So, I hope that the committee asks him questions to fully understand the approach that he would take in that role.”
3D illustration of Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba, suspended in a microscopic environment. (Getty Images stock photo/Gilnature)
(NEW YORK) — The North Carolina teenager who died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri was likely infected from a water feature at a community center, according to state and local officials.
Naegleria fowleri, also known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis or PAM, has been found in warm freshwater, including ponds, lakes and rivers, and it grows best in hotter water, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
“The amoeba does not cause illness if swallowed but can be fatal if water with the amoeba in it is forced up the nose into the brain,” NCDHHS said.
The North Carolina teenager was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 22 and died on Aug. 31, officials said. NCDHHS said at the time that it was working with federal and local partners to investigate all possible sources of the infection.
A report released Tuesday by NCDHHS found the teen was most likely infected by a water feature at a community center in Durham County, county officials said.
Investigators determined that on Aug. 13, the teen had contact — including splashing water on their face — with a water feature in the garden of a community-based mental health care center, according to the NCDHHS report.
“No other potential sources of exposure were identified,” the report said.
The mental health care center said in a statement, “Our hearts are broken for the young boy who lost his life and for his family. We are committed to supporting his family and our community through this devastating loss. We will continue to fully cooperate with public health officials.”
The county said the water feature has been closed since Aug. 28, when testing for Naegleria fowleri began.
The U.S. usually sees fewer than 10 cases of Naegleria fowleri infection each year. NCDHHS said the first symptoms can be severe headache, nausea, vomiting and fever, and later symptoms include stiff neck, seizures and coma. NCDHHS said, “once symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about five days.”
