Washington, August 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
National Institutes of Health Director Dr Jay Bhattacharya has urged parents across the United States to ensure their children receive routine childhood vaccinations, including the measles vaccine, as the country faces its highest measles caseload in 35 years.
Bhattacharya, who is also temporarily assisting in the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said vaccination remains the most effective protection against preventable diseases.
Speaking to CBS News’ “Face the Nation”, he specifically recommended standard childhood vaccines against measles as well as diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. He said he had also vaccinated his own children.
Bhattacharya further encouraged parents to send their children to school, saying concerns about exposure to preventable diseases should not unnecessarily keep them away from classrooms.
CBS anchor Margaret Brennan noted that measles cases had reached their highest level in 35 years and that only 10 states had achieved the 95 per cent vaccination coverage generally considered important for preventing sustained transmission.
Bhattacharya said outbreaks in South Carolina, Texas, Arizona and Utah had been addressed, while cases in Virginia were declining sharply. He added that some communities in Pennsylvania continued to face elevated risks.
The NIH chief attributed part of the decline in vaccination rates to a broader erosion of public trust in health authorities following the COVID-19 pandemic. He said rebuilding that trust was among his priorities.
On reports that the White House was preparing an executive order concerning vaccines and autism, Bhattacharya said he did not know its contents and believed the order had not yet been finalised.
He said NIH-backed researchers were investigating multiple possible factors behind the rise in autism diagnoses, with initial findings from more than a dozen teams involved in the Autism Data Science Initiative expected within weeks. Bhattacharya stressed that scientists do not yet know the precise reason for the increase.
The interview also covered food-safety concerns, including a cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from Mexico, salmonella risks and the impact of screwworm on beef supplies.
Bhattacharya said the cyclospora outbreak was larger than usual and that federal agencies were tracing contaminated products and working with suppliers on recalls. He advised consumers concerned about lettuce to wash it carefully, remove outer leaves or cook vegetables.
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