Exclusive: New CDC director talks measles outbreak, employee morale and distrust in agency

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — In her first media interview since becoming the director of the CDC, Dr. Erica Schwartz said restoring trust in the Atlanta-based agency is among her top priorities.

Speaking exclusively with Atlanta News First’s Abby Kousouris during the Health Connect South forum in downtown Atlanta, Schwartz said trust in the CDC is at an all-time low.

“How do we show the American people that the CDC is an incredibly exceptional public health institution?” Schwartz said. “Something that they should trust. Something that they should rely on. And so, I’m gonna be really laser-focused on how do we rebuild that trust.”

Schwartz also addressed a measles outbreak in Georgia, working with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and her plans to combat vaccine hesitancy.

Her remarks come as the nation faces its worst measles surge in 30 years, with more than 3,200 reported cases nationwide and kindergarten MMR vaccination rates dropping below the 95% community herd immunity threshold.

“Measles is the most contagious disease,” Schwartz said, noting that one infected individual can spread the virus to 12 to 18 susceptible people. “You could have pneumonia. You could get something called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, which is nearly fatal, and you could die. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective.”

Schwartz’s defense of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine stands in contrast to Kennedy, who has characterized measles as a mild illness and frequently questioned vaccine safety.

When asked whether she is prepared to push back against Kennedy when scientific evidence contradicts him, Schwartz pointed to her background in the uniformed services and as a former deputy surgeon general.

“In the uniformed services, we have something called ‘but sir, but ma’am,’ which basically means you can disagree with your superiors,” Schwartz said. “Secretary Kennedy and I have worked together for five weeks now, and I can tell you there have been a few ‘but sirs’ behind closed doors.”

Schwartz added that while she engages in debates with Kennedy, the final authority rests with him as cabinet secretary.

The CDC has also drawn scrutiny from congressional leaders after withholding certified measles-related deaths reported by Pennsylvania health officials, a move that followed public comments from Kennedy calling the reports “fabricated.”

Schwartz denied that death counts were altered for political reasons, stating that the agency historically lacked a standardized definition for a measles-related fatality.

“If someone got hit by a bus, and they happened to have COVID, often that was called a COVID-related death,” Schwartz said, drawing a comparison to early pandemic tracking disputes. “Definitions matter. In terms of my transparency as a CDC director, I want to be very accurate with the American people.”

Schwartz said the CDC has asked the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to develop a formal definition and is currently waiting for National Center for Health Statistics reviews to confirm measles as the underlying cause of death on death certificates.

Beyond measles, Schwartz responded to questions regarding the agency’s tracking of a massive summer Cyclospora parasite outbreak linked to imported iceberg lettuce that sickened nearly 20,000 people and hospitalized more than 1,000.

Critics raised concerns that the CDC quietly downgraded Cyclospora from mandatory tracking under FoodNet prior to the outbreak, but Schwartz defended the shift as an effort to remove “redundant reporting” while maintaining data through the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System.

Schwartz also addressed concerns over unstaffed “zombie programs,” where Congress appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars for smoking cessation and Alzheimer’s disease prevention, but offices remain unstaffed following federal workforce reductions.

Schwartz said center leaders are overwhelmed by the staffing deficit and noted that agency leadership is actively studying whether the CDC’s long-term workforce should reflect pandemic-era levels or return to a lower pre-pandemic baseline.

Internationally, Schwartz addressed the ongoing, deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, confirming that CDC experts are deployed with “boots on the ground” working alongside the DRC Ministry of Health, Uganda, and the U.S. Department of State to contain the spread amid active regional conflict.

Closer to home, Schwartz spoke to the persistent trauma inside the Atlanta headquarters following workforce cuts and the August 2025 shooting near the CDC campus that claimed the life of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose.

Schwartz recounted an all-hands meeting shortly after her arrival where an employee appeared visibly frightened to speak publicly.

“There was a young man who was asking a question, and he was so nervous in asking the question — and actually, it wasn’t even nervousness. He was afraid to ask the question,” Schwartz said. “And so, you could tell that there was just a lack of psychological safety.”

Schwartz said her overarching priority during her first 100 days is rebuilding public and employee trust through scientific rigor, transparency, and humility.