Former U.S. Surgeon General on measles case spikes, Casey Means nomination and more

(CBS, KYMA) - Dr. Jerome Adams, the former U.S. Surgeon General, spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about spikes in measles cases in the U.S.

According to the CDC, there are now more than 1,500 confirmed measles cases in the the U.S. since January, with a spike happening in Utah.

This prompted Brennan to ask Dr. Adams why the existing health infrastructure can't stop this, to which Adams said:

"That's a great question. And you have to start off by understanding that almost 20,000 people have been cut from HHS. And so normally, we have measles cases every year. We had about 250 in 2024. We had about 2,000 last year...We're at 1,500 already this year. But normally, we're able to control those outbreaks because of the CDC, because of public health infrastructure in funding. All of that has been cut. And now instead of one case turning into two or three and being stopped, it's turning into 20, and 50 and 100 cases. And we're also seeing falling vaccination rates, a broad group of states are falling below that 95% threshold for herd immunity for measles. Utah, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, all below that 95% threshold. And the further we get below that, the more these outbreaks explode."

During the interview, Brennan and Adams talked about Casey Means, who is President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Surgeon General.

During the confirmation hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is also a doctor, asked Means whether she would recommend a mother to vaccinate her child against the measles, and Means said:

"I'm not an individual's doctor and every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body. I absolutely am supportive of the measles vaccine and I do believe vaccines save lives and are an important part of the public health strategy."

This led Brennan to ask Adams why that stops short of he would want to hear from someone in the Surgeon General role, and Adams said:

"Number one, I watched the hearing. This was after much pressing and equivocating, number one. And she said she's not an individualist doctor. That is correct. But you're applying to be the nation's doctor. For me, this isn't personal or political, number one, and I've talked to you about this, it's about her not having the basic qualifications to do the job. She does not have an active medical license and would be the first surgeon general ever to be in the role to not have an active medical license. But beyond that, to the point you brought up, in the midst of a massive measles outbreak, America needs a surgeon general who can clearly stand behind vaccines. When I came in, we had the opioid epidemic and an overdose crisis. Imagine if I had said, you know, as Surgeon General, it's not my place to tell people to take naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal agent, they should talk to their doctor about it. That would not be acceptable in that circumstance, and it's not acceptable to have a surgeon general who equivocates on vaccines, much less one who can't actually practice medicine and meet the qualifications to be a physician in the court."

Later in the interview, Brennan and Adams talked about social media's impact on health.

Last week, a jury in New Mexico found Meta liable for violating consumer protection laws by misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

A day later, a jury in California found Meta and YouTube negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms that was linked to a young woman's depression.

When asked if he was concerned about social media being a direct link to health, Adams said:

"As a doctor and as a parent, I'm convinced of these facts. I have three teenage kids. We know, based on Surgeon General Murthy's report, that there is increasing and very valid evidence out there showing links between social media use, particularly at a younger age, and increasing anxiety, increasing depression, less sleep, which actually leads to mental health problems and also obesity. And so we need to, as a society, understand the harms that are coming from social media, similarly to the harms that surgeon generals have pointed out before coming from cigarettes. We also need to, similar to cigarettes, point out the fact that these substances, meaning social media platforms, are incredibly addictive. And we're hearing again in these lawsuits that they were specifically designed to addict children, again, the way cigarette manufacturers tried to addict children back in the day.

So, I'm happy that we're having a conversation about this. The policy is going to be hard, but Australia has already done it. They've banned social media for people under 16. You have 25 states, I believe, that are to the point where they're discussing or have legislation keeping social media and phones out of schools. And we need to to really understand the harm that's occurring to our children because of this unfettered access to screen time and social media."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Adams, click here.