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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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Senior federal health officials are trying to reassure Americans that the Cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce is under control, with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declaring on social media that "American food [is] safe."
The statement was posted by the official HHS account on X and accompanied broader messaging from federal officials defending the safety of the U.S. food supply.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has delivered a similar message. In a video posted on X, Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said: "Americans should feel confident in eating fresh produce including leafy greens at this point. FDA remains confident that all iceberg lettuce related to the Cyclospora outbreak has been effectively removed from the market."
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Those assurances focus on the source of the outbreak. However, the latest CDC surveillance figures show that the number of confirmed infections has continued to climb sharply, even in the last few days.
What the CDC Data Shows
Previously, on August 5, CDC figures showed that 10,468 laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis were reported between May 1 and Aug. 3.
Cases had been detected in 47 states, and at least 517 patients had been hospitalized.
The CDC's latest surveillance update, published August 11 and covering cases through August 10, reported 13,895 laboratory-confirmed cases acquired in the United States.
That represents an increase of 3,427 confirmed cases in a single week, a rise of roughly 33 percent from the August 3 total.
The agency also said it was aware of at least 10,455 additional cases that either had not yet been laboratory confirmed or still required further investigation.
Why Both Statements Can Be True
At first glance, the increase appears difficult to reconcile with federal declarations that the outbreak is contained.
The FDA confirmed that the major multistate outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce processed by Taylor Farms de Mexico, which issued a recall on July 17. The CDC said on August 5 that the recalled products' best-by dates have passed and that they "should no longer be available in stores or restaurants."
In the same notice, the CDC emphasized that it was investigating multiple Cyclospora outbreaks and illnesses nationwide, some of which may be unrelated to the lettuce recall.
In other words, officials believe the contaminated lettuce has likely been removed from stores and restaurants, but health agencies are still finding and confirming cases linked to exposures that happened weeks ago.
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Reporting Delays Matter
The CDC previously cautioned that Cyclospora data is subject to substantial reporting delays. The agency estimated that there could be a six-week lag between illness onset and case reporting, meaning many newly reported infections might not necessarily reflect recent exposure.
The FDA and CDC say they expect case totals to continue rising as additional reports are received from states, saying that “recent illnesses may not yet be reported because it can take as long as 6 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of a Cyclospora outbreak."
This caveat is important when interpreting the jump from 10,468 to 13,895 confirmed cases.
The increase doesn’t necessarily mean thousands of people became infected in the past week. Rather, it means thousands of additional infections were confirmed and reported to CDC during that period.
One of the Largest Cyclospora Seasons on Record
Even accounting for reporting delays, the scale of the outbreak remains unprecedented.
For comparison, according to CDC surveillance data, 1,180 domestically acquired laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases were reported from May 1 to August 31, 2025.
By August 10 this year, the total had already reached 13,895 cases, more than 11 times last year's figure.
What It Means
The latest figures don’t necessarily undermine federal claims that recalled iceberg lettuce has been removed from the market and that consumers can safely eat leafy greens.
The HHS and FDA have been specifically discussing the identified lettuce source. The CDC likewise says the recalled products should no longer be available to consumers.
But the CDC's own surveillance data show that the outbreak's impact is still becoming clearer. Between August 3 and August 10, the number of laboratory-confirmed U.S. cases increased from 10,468 to 13,895, adding 3,427 confirmed infections to what is already shaping up to be one of the largest Cyclospora outbreaks ever recorded in the United States.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Cristina Diciu.
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