Interstate Food Poisoning Outbreak Pits Political Purity Against Bowel Impurity
By JoshMogerman in News on Sep 1, 2013 3:30PM
A series food poisoning outbreaks related to an unusual parasite has sent more than 650 people nationwide scrambling for the toilet--and federal officials scrambling for an excuse.
Cyclospora has ravaged the digestive tracts of people in 23 states, including 11 Illinoisans, but, after two months, its source in the food system has yet to be identified.
Politico reports that, while the feds tasked with putting down this blitz on America’s bowels have not identified the mysterious source of contamination, in the face of mounting criticism, they have identified who is at fault.
(Spoiler alert: it ain't them):
Federal authorities are struggling to explain why [people] have fallen ill from a food borne parasite rarely seen in the United States.But some officials are ready to finger one culprit that has hindered their investigation: the sequester.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has had to slash $285 million at a time when food and health experts say disease detection needs more funding as these type of food outbreak cases become more complex and widespread.
The current outbreak, caused by a single-cell parasite known as Cyclospora, is a case in point. About 250 consumers in Nebraska and Iowa got sick after eating at Red Lobster and Olive Garden, and their illnesses were linked to a salad mix produced by Taylor Farms de Mexico. But another 250 Texas residents who are sick with the same bug have no link to the product. On top of that, about 100 consumers are reportedly ill in 19 other states and there is no clear link between them.
After the salad providers were proven to be unassociated with the outbreak, the CDC pointed to a lack of appropriate technology to track down the true source of contamination due to Congressional action.
The finger pointing does little to comfort victims of the single-celled parasite, which has left a swath of puke, explosive diarrhea and flu-like symptoms that can linger for a month across much of the middle of the country.
This whole affair brings a new and uncomfortable wrinkle to the old adage that "politicians and diapers need to be changed for the same reason."
Blech.