National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Aug. 9, 2026
Summary
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the Director of the National Institutes of Health and interim head of the CDC, spoke about several ongoing public health concerns on the show "Face the Nation." He discussed outbreaks of foodborne illnesses like cyclospora and salmonella, efforts to trace and control these outbreaks, and the rising cases of measles due to low vaccination rates in many states.Key Facts
- Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from Mexico has spread to 15 states and caused two deaths in early summer.
- There is a salmonella alert covering 27 states involving products like jalapeños, cilantro, red onion, avocado, eggs, meat, and poultry.
- Albertsons grocery stores recalled some products due to possible salmonella contamination.
- The CDC and FDA are working together to find and stop contaminated food sources from reaching consumers.
- The cyclospora parasite is harder to trace than bacteria, making investigations more complicated.
- Measles cases are at their highest in 35 years, with only 10 states having vaccination coverage above the recommended 95%.
- High measles vaccine coverage is important to achieve herd immunity, which helps prevent disease spread.
- Dr. Bhattacharya supports encouraging parents to vaccinate their children with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.
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