Why does it feel like foodborne illness outbreaks are everywhere in 2026? From Cyclospora and Salmonella to E. coli, this summer has brought several major outbreaks and plenty of questions about the safety of our food supply.

In this episode of Culture Positive, GI Jane is reporting for duty again! We're breaking down recent foodborne illness outbreaks and exploring how public health funding, workforce shortages, food safety oversight, traceability, and surveillance may influence our ability to prevent and respond to outbreaks.

https://time.com/article/2026/08/26/e-coli-salmonella-cyclospora-is-the-u-s-seeing-a-surge-in-foodborne-illnesses-/ 

https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-multistate-outbreak-cyclospora-illnesses-iceberg-lettuce-july-2026 

https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-jalapeno-august-2026 

https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-e-coli-o145h28-frozen-blueberries-july-2026 

https://www.wired.com/story/why-salmonella-cyclospora-make-americans-sick/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/16/us-law-foodborne-illness-delay 

https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma 

Surgery has come a long way—but infection prevention has been part of that journey every step of the way. In this episode of Culture Positive, Ally takes a look at the history of surgery, what surgical site infections are, the signs and symptoms, and—most importantly—what we can do to prevent them.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05160-8 

https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-history-of-surgery-timeline-3157332 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/surgical-site-infections 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/surgical-wound-infection 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1743919121002843#tbl3 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12229807/ 

https://www.jointcommissionjournal.com/article/S1553-7250(24)00259-9/fulltext 

RNs and IPs have the same goal, why not making it more fun and work together? Join Ally and her guest, CB, an incredible nurse and advocate for patient safety! Along with being a bedside nurse and leader on a cardiac ICU at a large academic hospital, she is also a clinical instructor for the next generation of nursing. Hear them chat about the importance of IPs and bedside nurses working together and how you build that trust.

Hernán Cortés defeated the Aztecs because of Spanish military power, right? Not quite. See how an infectious disease played a devastating role in the fall of the Aztec Empire.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/smallpox/symptoms-causes/syc-20353027 

https://www.indigenousmexico.org/articles/smallpox-comes-to-the-americas-1507-1524 

https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/about/history.html 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-smallpox-devastated-the-aztecs-and-helped-spain-conquer-an-american-civilization-500-years-ago 

https://www.doaks.org/resources/online-exhibits/epidemics/epidemics-english/fall-of-tenochtitlan/smallpox 

https://www.biography.com/history-culture/hernan-cortes

What do funerals have to do with Ebola? More than you think. Check out the latest episode to learn more about active outbreak of Ebola in the DRC and how infection prevention and public health play a role in the response.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON615 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4709130/ 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2849890

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-disease 

https://www.cdc.gov/viral-hemorrhagic-fevers/hcp/guidance/ppe-clinically-unstable.html https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ebola/ebola-outbreak-now-deadliest-ever-dr-congo-death-rate-reaches-46 

https://www.unrefugees.org/news/2026/7/ebola-crisis-explained/ 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8p2g8yp8do 

https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/08/1168174

Lets hear if for the girl: Florence Nightingale! Hear how Florence, aka Flo, influenced not only nursing but data visualization and infection prevention!

https://www.history.com/articles/florence-nightingale

https://sruk.org.uk/florence-nightingale-and-epidemiology-a-tribute-to-health-professionals/ 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11373583/ 

https://www.choleraandthethames.co.uk/cholera-in-london/cholera-in-soho/florence-nightingale/

Ally shares her own personal stories, along with those of other frontline staff who worked through the COVID-19 response, while highlighting the lasting impact and aftermath of the pandemic.

Feeling nervous about taking the Certification In Infection Control? Check out the episode for studying tricks and details on the exam itself!

https://www.cbic.org/OffNav/APIC.htm 

https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/CIC-Certification/About-the-Examination.htm 

https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Candidate-Handbook/Eligibility-Guidelines.htm 

https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(26)00357-3/fulltext?utm_campaign=41567803-Megasurvey%2FComp+Report&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_O4BCPRIXid9iwNeox1tNy2dVWU-El7TzMcJod3jwhVTQC5WWmZCrTh5fVEFzAZVYp8VUXnkioVeybRHyzuAjQOtjx8w&_hsmi=411560313&utm_content=411560313&utm_source=hs_email 

https://youtube.com/@cicepidemiologists6403?si=Q80VWgXg5toZxoRJ 

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000- it is back in full force. Tune in to learn about the history of measles, what outbreaks are looking like today and background work that can take place in a healthcare setting to safely see a patient with measles.

https://www.cdc.gov/pinkbook/hcp/table-of-contents/chapter-13-measles.html 

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-measles-vaccination https://www.kff.org/medicaid/kindergarten-routine-vaccination-rates-continue-to-decline/

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccines/index.html

Ally takes you behind the scenes of what a typical day can look like if you work in infection prevention. From unexpected pager calls, isolation review to device rounds and more! Every day is different, and everyday is about keeping patients safe. Resources mentioned in the episode can be found below.

https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/hcp/isolation-precautions/appendix-a-type-duration.html

https://share.google/FjiYoiEb7IVkSwYtm

https://www.ashe.org/icra2