Target: Jayanta Bhattacharya, Acting Director of CDC
Goal: Make reporting of cyclosporiasis outbreak cases mandatory and strengthen CDC response capabilities.
Over half of American states are dealing with an outbreak of a disease with severe diarrhea that can last for weeks as its primary symptom. In addition to the gastrointestinal issues and the dangerous dehydration they can cause, cyclosporiasis can also lead to fever, fatigue, body aches, and other issues resembling the flu. While unwashed produce or contaminated water have been traced as the sources of past cases, the specific origin of this epidemic remains unknown.
Since so little has been determined about the parasitic illness typically treated with antibiotics, devising a coordinated response has proven difficult. The previous widespread cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) –especially for initiatives specifically dealing with epidemics — has likely compounded the problem. One consequence has shown up in the discrepancies of cases reported by the CDC as compared to cases reported by individual states. As part of its restructuring, CDC leadership recently made reporting of cyclosporiasis cases optional rather than mandatory. This change has made monitoring and properly responding to the growing outbreak even more of a challenge.
Sign the petition below to demand this important public health agency reinstate a policy that could have enhanced its disease preparedness.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Dr. Bhattacharya,
In a recent statement, CDC leadership acknowledged the disconnect between state and federal data regarding cyclosporiasis cases and assured it was updating its systems. But the nation’s preeminent infectious disease apparatus should not be playing catch-up with this or any other emerging public health crisis. Firings and budget cuts (including the complete dissolution of a division specializing in parasitic diseases) at this agency have already put it well behind its objectives, and these actions will in all probability delay real answers about the source of and effective response toward the soaring outbreak.
You are witnessing in real time the consequences of scaling back the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network’s three-decades-long program. Restore the Division of Parasitic Diseases and reinstate mandatory reporting for this illness and for any other disease threat you may have deemed “optional” to track. Do not make an already bad situation so much worse.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Pavel Danilyuk
