The Weather
The CDC-based wastewater map was updated on July 23rd and depicts wastewater levels for the period from July 12th to July 18th.
The majority of the US continues to experience “Very Low” levels. Alaska has risen from “Low,” and Guam has fallen from “Very High” since our last report to their current readings of “Moderate.” Washington, Florida, and Texas continue to report “Low” levels. Louisiana, Nevada, and New Mexico have risen from “Very Low” to “Low” levels since our last report. Oregon meanwhile, has fallen from “Low” to “Very Low” levels.
Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming are reporting “Limited Coverage,” meaning that the data is based on less than 5% of the population and may not be accurate for the entire state. North Dakota and the U.S. Virgin Islands are reporting “Limited/No Data.”
Regional trend data indicate that all regions remain at “Very Low” levels.
Cyclosporiasis Update
The CDC has expanded the outbreak to nine states. The parasite causes diarrheal illness, and it can be transmitted when food or water has been contaminated with feces, and past outbreaks have been linked to contaminated lettuce, berries, and other produce. The CDC has linked one outbreak to lettuce from Taylor Farms sold at retail stores and served in restaurants, though it continues to investigate other outbreaks that are unrelated to the Taylor Farms outbreak. A list of products is included in the recall notice.
A War on the Left
Over the past two weeks, the Federal administration’s effort to eliminate progressive and equity-focused initiatives has directly reshaped federal public health policy. Notably, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will end direct grant renewals to community-based organizations focused on HIV prevention among marginalized groups, shifting those funds to state health departments to bypass localized equity models. Simultaneously, as a July 24 deadline enforces mandatory anti-DEI clauses across federal contracting, healthcare providers, research institutions, and public health grant recipients face heightened risks of defunding if their programs use DEI frameworks, nonbinary gender categories, or targeted racial disparity metrics. Public health experts and policy analysts warn that these rapid shifts threaten to sever trusted grassroots outreach, dilute specialized care access, and worsen outcomes for historically underserved populations.
While wastewater surveillance continues to prove useful at mitigating disease spread, CDC wastewater monitoring efforts are set to be scaled back. Current programming has been cut from $125 million annually to $25 million annually, and the current contract with Verily Life Sciences expires in August.
Actions
Demand Continued Wastewater Surveillance!
Ask your congressional leaders to renew $125 million dollars of annual funding to the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System to prevent it from going dark as soon as September 30th, 2026. This program remains one of the most valuable public health tools for detecting increased spread of infectious diseases such as COVID, measles, polio, Mpox, RSV, influenza, and avian flu.
Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 07/23/2026. 2) Check out the links throughout & see our website for more at https://peoplescdc.org. 3) Subscribe to our newsletter: People’s CDC | Substack.
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