CIDRAP director criticizes Cyclospora investigation
The director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) and University of Minnesota professor, Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, had some strong words about the state of the Cyclospora parasite outbreak investigation, specifically pointing out Iowa, according to a Des Moines Register report Saturday.
“This one is very solvable. This is one of the easy ones,” said Dr. Michael Osterholm, “If this same number of cases had happened in Minnesota as happened in Iowa, this would have been solved weeks ago.”
Responding to Osterholm, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk said, I haven’t seen anyone slacking off. Our food system is very complex, she said. I would have loved to have solved this weeks ago, but this is not just your church-supper kind of investigation.”
Quinlisk told Dispatch Radio last weekend that she was optimistic that investigators will be able to figure out the source of the outbreak, at least at a certain level. However, will they may not be able to pinpoint the exact farm where the tainted veggies came from.
LISTEN to the Dr. Quinlisk interview
As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 321 cases have been reported to them from 14 states and NYC, including at least one case in Minnesota.
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