Clostridium botulinum toxin statement from the director of the California Department of Public Health.

TO THE EDITOR—In 2 articles written by California Department of Public Health (CDPH) researchers and published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases regarding a new strain of botulism [1, 2], a decision was made by the CDPH to withhold data that would allow for the reproduction of the strain before an antitoxin can be developed. Although the CDPH indicated to the media that this decision was made at the behest of federal agencies, we now know that this is not the case. The CDPH is committed to accuracy in all of its communication with the public and regrets the error.