Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pressed For Clarification, Oz Rebuts Trump's Claim That Combo MMR Vaccine Is 'Lethal'
Politico: 'The MMR Vaccine Is Not A Lethal Vaccine,' Mehmet Oz Says
Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on Sunday countered President Donald Trump’s recent claims that the measles, mumps and rubella — or MMR — vaccine could be lethal. In an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan repeatedly asked Oz to clarify the president’s remarks before he finally stated, “The MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine.” (Daniels, 8/23)
CIDRAP: CDC Adds 211 New Cases To Accelerating US Measles Outbreak
The rapidly rising US measles outbreak grew to 2,777 cases today as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 211 new infections in its weekly update. The increase is more than double that seen last week, when the agency added 101 cases to the total, after adding 94 the week before. Most of this week’s cases are in Pennsylvania and Ohio. (Wappes, 8/21)
The Washington Post: Fighting Measles Is Expensive. See What It Cost To Contain 10 Cases.
Half a million dollars. That’s about how much it cost several public health agencies to contain one small measles outbreak in the Denver area this year. Though it was a relatively modest cluster — a total of 10 cases involving nine children and one adult — it nevertheless consumed 6,785 hours of labor by state and local workers to track and snuff out the outbreak after exposed individuals traveled through grocery stores, schools, fast-food restaurants and more. (Ahmed, Sun and Steckelberg, 8/24)
Updates on other outbreaks and health threats —
The New York Times: Alfalfa Sprouts Linked To Illnesses In 15 States, F.D.A. Says
Federal public health officials on Friday cautioned against eating or serving alfalfa sprouts from a Minnesota-based company after dozens were sickened across the United States. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating an outbreak of E. coli and salmonella tied to alfalfa sprouts. Investigators linked the cases to Everything Sprouts, and the company issued a voluntary recall of some products. The contaminated products were sold under the Everything Sprouts and Calco brands. The cases involve multiple strains of E. coli and a single kind of salmonella, according to the F.D.A. and the C.D.C. At least 55 people in 15 states have been sickened, and four people were hospitalized, the F.D.A. said. (Desai, 8/21)
NBC News: Why Foodborne Outbreaks In 2026 Are Making So Many Americans Sick
Outbreaks of foodborne illness keep stacking up: In just the last month, consumers have been warned about E. coli in blueberries, cyclospora in iceberg lettuce, salmonella in jalapeño peppers and, as of Friday, contaminated alfalfa sprouts. (Bendix, 8/22)
The Guardian: Eight-Year-Old Dies After Contracting Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba In Louisiana
An eight-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting a rare, typically fatal brain-eating amoeba after a swim in Lake Claiborne. Lillian Smart, of Ruston, died on Saturday, one day after celebrating her birthday, her family announced in a public Facebook post on the “Love for Lillian” page. (Dunbar, 8/24)
AP: Mexico To Resume Cattle Sales To US Under New Controls Over Screwworm Risk
At daybreak, rancher Martín Alfonso Ibarra takes advantage of the cooler hours in northern Mexico’s desert to oversee the milking of his cows and tend to 16 prized calves. Soon, he hopes, they will be headed north to the United States as a yearlong ban on Mexican cattle imports comes to an end. The ban, imposed over concerns about a flesh-eating parasite known as the New World screwworm fly, dealt a blow to cattle and beef industries on both sides of the border, exacerbating a livestock shortage in the U.S. and hurting a Mexican ranching sector already weakened by drought and a cattle export business that generated $1.2 billion for Mexico last year. (Sánchez, 8/22)
CIDRAP: Is Mpox Here To Stay? CDC Study Says Virus Is Likely Becoming Endemic
Although mpox cases related to the 2022 global outbreak were diagnosed in people who had traveled aboard, the virus now is spreading continuously in the United States. Persistent, low levels of mpox “suggest a likely transition toward endemic circulation,” according to a report in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) flagship publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The paper also quantifies the risk of hospitalization in unvaccinated mpox patients. (Szabo, 8/21)
On Ebola —
AP: Congo Receives First 16,000 Doses Of Possible Ebola Vaccine
Congo has received more than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine as the country grapples with the fastest Ebola outbreak in history, the country’s health minister said. The 16,250 doses arrived at the N’djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late Friday, as part of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization and partners that were announced on Thursday. More doses are expected early next week. (8/22)
KFF Health News: Ebola Is Still Killing In Central Africa. These Groups Are Working To Save Lives
Misinformation and distrust are among the challenges facing public health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo as they confront the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. Even though the virus has faded from U.S. headlines, key organizations are still at work providing medical care and training to counter the spread of the disease. Since the World Health Organization’s May 17 declaration of a public health emergency, over 5,200 cases of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus have been confirmed and more than 2,500 people have died in Congo, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Spears, 8/24)
Some eyedrops are recalled —
The New York Times: Maker Of Clear Eyes Recalls Nearly 40,000 Bottles Over Contamination Risk
Nearly 40,000 bottles of eye drops are being recalled across the country over concerns related to potential contamination, federal safety regulators said. Prestige Brand Holdings, of Tarrytown, N.Y., issued the voluntarily recall of 39,060 bottles of Clear Eyes Maximum Itchy Eye Relief eye drops because of a “lack of assurance of sterility,” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Diaz, 8/23)
