In 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will mark the 30th anniversary of PulseNet USA, CDC’s national laboratory network for detecting foodborne disease outbreaks. For three decades, PulseNet has connected illnesses that might otherwise appear unrelated, enabling faster outbreak detection, timely public health action, and strong food safety systems.
According to the CDC, “since its launch in 1996, PulseNet has grown into a nationwide network that supports real-time enteric disease surveillance, identifies local and multistate outbreaks, and drives improvements in food safety practice and policy. Through CDC investments in food safety, every state has at least one PulseNet laboratory, and the network has supported recalls of more than 1 billion pounds of contaminated food.”
What Local Health Departments Can Do
Local health departments (LHDs) can mark PulseNet’s impact by amplifying CDC’s anniversary messaging through preferred communication channels using their social media toolkit and the hashtag #PulseNetUSA30 on June 30. LHDs can share a short congratulatory message recognizing PulseNet’s 30 years of impact, provide examples of how PulseNet has supported your work or strengthened public health response, or highlight a successful collaboration, milestone, or example of PulseNet’s impact.
See PulseNet’s history and impact by checking out CDC’s timeline (https://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/php/anniversary/timeline.html) and success stories (https://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/php/anniversary/success-stories.html).
If you missed NACCHO’s joint webinar with Association of Public Health Laboratories and National Environmental Health Association featuring CDC’s Dr. Megin Nichols who explores key updates to FoodNet and the new BEAM platform, see the recording here.
