Hear Ally, a former GI Jane, talk about the history of cyclospora, role of public health surveillance with foodborne illnesses, and what the current outbreak in the US looks like as of July 10th, 2026.

Resources used for todays episode:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17957-cyclosporiasis 

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/keep-mi-healthy/infectious-diseases/infectious-disease-outbreaks 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-quietly-scaled-back-surveillance-program-foodborne-illnesses-rcna227089 

https://www.nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Preventing-Foodborne-Illness-Cyclospora-cayetanensis.pdf 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-parasite-michigan/ 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11803675/ 

https://www.cdc.gov/foodnet/about/index.html

Curious how someone went from studying Anthropology to being an Infection Preventionist? Check out our first Professional Spotlight with Kayleigh Sandhu Bajaj where we discuss her background, proud moments in infection prevention and a little history lesson on Christopher Columbus.

Please find reading recommendations from Kayleigh here:

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C Mann

Infections and Inequalities by Paul Farmer

Want to hear why Ally has a fear of birds? Did you watch the movie Hamnet and wonder what happened to that sweet boy? Check out the latest episode on the Black Death aka the Plague!

References for the episode:

https://www.history.com/articles/black-death

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21590-bubonic-plague 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plague_of_London 

https://www.oerproject.com/OER-Materials/OER-Media/HTML-Articles/Origins/Unit6/Trade-Networks-and-the-Black-Death

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

https://www.thecollector.com/how-many-people-died-from-the-black-plague/ 

https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres1422.php

Curious about the virus that caused a cruise ship to make front page news?

In this episode of Culture Positive, Ally explores hantavirus, the outbreak that occurred aboard a cruise ship, and the aftermath; offering a closer look into what happens when an outbreak unfolds and how public health professionals respond.

Please see resources used for the episode below:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/expert-qa/hantavirus 

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

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-hantavirus-spread-through-the-air-what-we-do-and-dont-know/ 

https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-cruise-ship-timeline-events-b9eb3985b547758b1e42dbab6ceb3887 

https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/expertise/why-nebraska.html 

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/2-more-cruise-ship-passengers-leave-omaha-quarantine-after-deadly-hantavirus-outbreak/ 

https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/expertise/why-nebraska.html 

How did infection prevention become a profession? And who are the people doing the work today?

In this episode of Culture Positive, Ally explores the history of infection prevention, the milestones that shaped the field, and the many backgrounds that lead professionals into infection prevention today.

Please see resources used for this episode below:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7119047/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7151947/

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/clabsi 

https://www.ahrq.gov/hai/pfp/haccost2017-results.html 

https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/the-shifting-responsibilities-infection-preventionists