Nicolai Haugsted
Thousands sick, over 100 hospitalized: Taco Bell outbreak takes heavy toll.
A nationwide outbreak of severe gastrointestinal illness has placed renewed pressure on both a major fast-food chain and the US public health system.
Thousands of suspected cases have been reported across more than 30 states, while over 100 people have required hospital treatment. Many of those affected are believed to have eaten at Taco Bell restaurants before developing intense stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting.
According to Aftonbladet, health officials have connected the outbreak to cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food and water.
One patient described the pain as feeling like “being hit in the stomach with a baseball bat,” according to The New York Times.
Investigators have focused much of their attention on pre-chopped lettuce served at Taco Bell. An initial positive laboratory result was later found to be incorrect, but the US Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that lettuce supplied by farms in Mexico remained the leading suspected source.
No final confirmation of the origin has yet been announced.
Trump cuts enter the debate
Questions surrounding the outbreak have also reached the White House, with critics pointing to staffing reductions introduced under President Donald Trump.
Thousands of employees have left the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following cuts to federal agencies. Those departures have reportedly affected the country’s ability to track outbreaks and identify patterns across different states.
Cyclospora infections were previously included in FoodNet, a surveillance system used to monitor foodborne illnesses. Reporting through that specific program has since stopped.
Former CDC director Dan Jernigan has cautioned against portraying the change as the removal of frontline outbreak investigators.
“Removing cyclosporiasis from FoodNet does not mean firefighters are being taken away from the current outbreak. However, it does remove part of the system that shows us how large the problem is and whether it is getting worse over time,” he told The Washington Post.
Taco Bell loses customers
Public concern has already affected Taco Bell’s business.
Bloomberg reports that daily customer visits have fallen by approximately 19 percent as coverage of the outbreak has spread.
Food safety scares have previously caused lasting financial damage to major restaurant chains. McDonald’s experienced an E. coli outbreak linked to sliced onions nearly two years ago, followed by declining sales for roughly six months.
Taco Bell now faces a similar challenge as health authorities continue searching for the source of the parasite and customers reconsider whether to return.
