r/publichealth • u/thenewrepublic • 5d ago

NEWS CDC Doesn’t Seem to Think Foodborne Illnesses Are a Thing Anymore

https://newrepublic.com/post/199626/cdc-foodborne-illnesses-trump-rfjk-jr-foodnet

A lack of funding reportedly forced a federal-state partnership to scale back.

Prior to July 1, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network—also known as FoodNet—was tracking infections caused by eight pathogens, including campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia, some of which are the root cause of serious or life threatening illness.

That number has now been reduced to just two: salmonella and the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, according to the report.

478 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

367

u/CoarseSalted 5d ago

Y’all need to stop attributing these decisions to the CDC. It’s the Trump Administration and HHS doing this, CDC does not have much of a choice.

28

u/ilovesas 5d ago

This

19

u/cynthesis1 5d ago

Exactly

1

u/porkchop_47 4d ago

Look at the name of OP. Not sure why this is allowed…

43

u/bd2999 5d ago

I think they are going to look at it as freedom to get sick, because in their view it makes others healthier. I expect increase in morbidity and mortality due to foodborne illnesses.

That or they expect the individual states to deal with it, but if they have the same motto they will cut back on protections too. Would not shock me if RFK Jr. orders that there are no microbial pathogens. That he himself proved it and that infectious disease research is gone. As he wanted a stay on ID research as part of his presidential platform. Not stopping it altogether but pausing it for his full term.

39

u/kingbanana 5d ago

I got into a curious argument on r/rawpetfood where the OP denied that Koch's postulate had ever been proven. They claimed there's no proof that bacteria are the cause of disease. They get this stuff from somewhere, and I have to imagine RFK Jr. shares the same sources.

22

u/Jinn_Erik-AoM 5d ago

Yeah, and it gets weirder when you get into germ theory denial over viruses. “Nobody has ever isolated a virus!” (Using a very narrow and outdated definition of isolation, and that Koch’s postulates are set in stone and cannot be modified as necessary)

It’s remarkably like arguing with creationists that misrepresent basic science in order to make their beliefs true.

2

u/BayouGal 4d ago

Doesn’t RFK say he believes in miasma? No germs for him because he can’t see them?

I swear I read that. SMH

11

u/Emotional_Bunch_799 5d ago

Sounds like a cult. A cult of eugenicists.

104

u/ubioandmph 5d ago

If memory serves, more cases of gastroenteritis are from Campylobacter than any other bacterium so it’s odd they eliminated screening for it

76

u/daremyth_ 5d ago

They are trying to destroy our country in any way or ways they can. Nothing is 'odd' about it, viewed through that lens.

21

u/tamarasaurus524 5d ago

FoodNet doesn’t ’screen’ for anything, they are a surveillance system. Campylobacter still remains a reportable disease, and positive cases will still be reported to state and local health departments. And yes, it causes the highest number of cases of reportable GI disease- Norovirus is number one but isn’t reportable.

2

u/JBRifles 5d ago

Why do you think this is odd? 

Did you think they were here for another reason? 

3

u/she-wantsthe-phd03 3d ago

To be clear, the “they” are not actual scientists at the CDC making these decisions. “They” are political appointees, RFK, and HHS.

12

u/deadbeatsummers 5d ago

What a shame. Hopefully at least state departments have the ability to maintain records + manually report even if FoodNet can’t accept them…

12

u/Reasonable-Hippo-293 5d ago

This is Trump and Project 2025 cutting funding to all important agencies.

6

u/Adorable-Constant294 5d ago

And yet my epidemiologist husband processes at least 30 cases of fb illnesses a month at the county health department. In a Red State.

-2

u/Liz_LemonLime 4d ago

This is about a federal level scale back. The data produced at a hyper local level won’t be as effective without resources to support tracking at the federal level.

Are you trying to prove things are actually fine in public health or what?

5

u/Trix_Are_4_90Kids 5d ago

It's all about breaking down the systems.

And no there is no alternative.

3

u/beadzy 5d ago

Didn’t some people die recently from e.coli or something?

2

u/quaglady 4d ago

There was a lettuce outbreak they just did not report on. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ecoli-bacteria-lettuce-outbreak-rcna200236

1 death, 1 kid with HUS (kidney failure)

1

u/beadzy 1d ago

Yep. I remember reading about them cutting back on testing for food safety. Of course that leads to more non reporting.

Ugh every day feels worse than the last. It’s hard to believe there are so many cruel, pathetic people in the world with nothing better to do than project their inner hatred on whoever they see as the low hanging fruit.

Classic bully behavior. Which tracks since I’m sure they were bullied beyond belief growing up. The best bullies learn by being bullied relentlessly themselves.

2

u/quaglady 1d ago

The weakness from this adminstration screams. Theyve devoted so much energy to attacking people who can't vote, children and visa holders. Its pathetic.

1

u/beadzy 1d ago

Seriously my only solace is know that inside they are constantly paranoid and having extreme FOMO every second of every day. You couldn’t pay me to live a life obsessed with getting mine first. It’s a horrible feeling that must be ubiquitous amongst every person in this administration

1

u/nottodayautoimmune 4d ago

As of approximately three weeks ago, I can 100% confirm, food borne illnesses exist.

1

u/she-wantsthe-phd03 3d ago

Whatever you’re seeing in terms of official CDC opinions is NOT actually coming from the CDC. To be clear. What the CDC “says” isn’t coming from actual scientists at the CDC. It’s coming from political appointees and HHS. Program can barely communicate en masse to grant recipients.