The nation is facing a convergence of public health crises under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with record-breaking measles cases, a spreading parasitic outbreak causing explosive diarrhea, and a massive egg recall tied to potential salmonella contamination all striking simultaneously. The string of emergencies has drawn fierce criticism from public health experts and lawmakers who say Kennedy’s leadership has left the country vulnerable to diseases that were once well under control.
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday confirmed 2,318 recorded measles cases this year, the highest tally since the virus was declared eliminated in the United States more than two decades ago. Experts who spoke with The New York Times pointed to declining vaccination rates as the driving force behind the resurgence. Jennifer Nuzzo, who directs the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health, warned that without improved vaccination coverage, Americans will be living in what she called a perpetual state of vulnerability and risk.
Dr. Jonathan Temte, a former chairman of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, placed blame directly on HHS leadership under Kennedy, noting there has been virtually no national messaging or advertising campaigns promoting immunization. Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care, went further, accusing both Kennedy and President Donald Trump of being on what he called a suicide mission to scare families away from vaccines without evidence. Woodhouse noted that while Kennedy declared the measles outbreak under control this week, federal data shows it continuing to grow, and he said the CDC has not spent anything on public service ads promoting the vaccine that could end the crisis.
Beyond measles, the Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that four additional states are now part of an expanding cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce sourced from Taylor Farms de Mexico. The parasitic illness, which causes explosive diarrhea, has sickened nearly 2,000 people and hospitalized close to 100. Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia sent Kennedy a scathing letter accusing him of reckless arrogance for dismantling surveillance programs previously required at the CDC. The FDA separately disclosed Wednesday that Midwest Poultry Services is voluntarily recalling roughly 1.6 million cartons of eggs over possible salmonella contamination, which can cause fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and abdominal pain — prompting economist Dean Baker to remark online that war, diarrhea, measles, and salmonella together amount to a pretty damn MAGA moment in American history.