- Michigan is battling a massive cyclosporiasis outbreak with over 8,100 cases reported, making it the hardest hit state.
- The FDA linked the outbreak to Taco Bell and Taylor Farms on July 17.
- The outbreak is exacerbated by federal funding cuts under the Trump administration, which canceled $12 billion in grants in 2025.
- Health officials are borrowing staff and recruiting volunteers to manage the outbreak due to staffing shortages.
- Michigan's health departments are straining to keep up with the caseload due to limited communication from federal agencies and funding cuts.
- Ingham County has reported about 700 cases, but its health department's staff of five nurses has only investigated about half of those.
- Oakland County, with nearly 1.3 million residents, has reported 710 cases as of July 24, with a reduced staff compared to the COVID pandemic.
- The Trump administration's cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development also reduced funding for a CDC lab that investigates parasitic diseases.
Michigan is facing a severe outbreak of cyclosporiasis, with over 8,100 reported cases, as federal funding cuts have left the state struggling to manage the crisis.3
The Trump administration's decision to cancel approximately $12 billion in COVID-era grants has resulted in 23 fewer infectious disease workers and 123 fewer county health staff across Michigan.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan's chief medical executive, stated, "We have had to pull in dozens of staff from other areas, from hepatitis C and interns who are working on gun violence prevention."
Ingham County, which includes Lansing, has reported about 700 cases, but its health department has only investigated half of those due to staffing shortages. Deputy health officer Anne Barna noted, "It has decided to drop old cases and focus on new ones."6
In Oakland County, a team of four communicable disease nurses and three epidemiologists is managing 710 cases, down from 12 additional staff members during the COVID pandemic, according to county health officer Kate Guzman.7
The outbreak has been linked to lettuce served at Taco Bell, sourced from Taylor Farms, but 12% of patients have no clear connection to the fast-food chain. "We've got this huge volume (of cases) and so many people working on it and it's not getting clearer," said Ringler Cerniglia, a spokesperson for Washtenaw County Health Department.2
The lack of regular communication with federal agencies has further complicated the response, with officials reporting that they often learn new information from the news rather than through formal channels.
“Michigan has reported over 8,100 cyclosporiasis cases, straining health departments that lost staff after the Trump administration canceled $12 billion in grants. Ingham County's five nurses cover only half of 700 cases, while Oakland County lost four nurses this spring and state officials borrow interns from other programs.”
