Washington, Aug 10 : National Institutes of Health Director Dr Jay Bhattacharya urged American parents to give their children standard vaccines, including protection against measles, as the United States confronts its highest measles caseload in 35 years.

Bhattacharya, who is also temporarily helping to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said vaccination remained the best way to protect children from preventable diseases.

â??The best way to protect your kids from measles is to get the vaccine for- for measles,â?? Bhattacharya told CBS Newsâ?? â??Face the Nation.â??

He said parents should use the standard childhood vaccines, including those protecting against measles and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

â??I think- I think that- that parents, for most kids, especially for the measles vaccines, the DTP, all the standard childhood vaccines, itâ??s very important that parents vaccinate their kids,â?? he said.

Bhattacharya said he had vaccinated his own children. He also strongly encouraged families to send children back to school, arguing that fears about exposure should not keep them out of classrooms.

â??If you want to protect your kids from those- those preventable diseases, vaccinate your kids,â?? he said. â??In any case, itâ??s better to send the kids to school because thatâ??s how you keep kids healthy.â??

CBS anchor Margaret Brennan said measles cases were at their highest level in 35 years. She said only 10 states had reached the 95 per cent vaccination threshold considered important for preventing sustained transmission.

Bhattacharya said outbreaks in South Carolina, Texas, Arizona and Utah had been addressed. Cases in Virginia were falling sharply, while specific communities in Pennsylvania remained at higher risk, he said.

The NIH director linked declining vaccination rates partly to a broader loss of faith in public health authorities following the COVID-19 pandemic. He said his priority was to rebuild trust.

Bhattacharya also addressed reports that the White House was preparing an executive order on vaccines and autism. He said he did not know its specific contents and believed the order had not been completed.

â??I donâ??t know exactly whatâ??s in this executive order and neither do you,â?? he told Brennan.

Bhattacharya said NIH-supported researchers were examining a broad range of possible reasons for the rise in autism diagnoses. Early results from more than a dozen teams participating in the Autism Data Science Initiative were expected within weeks.

â??We donâ??t know- if you ask me as a scientist, do I know why weâ??ve seen this rise in autism? Iâ??ll tell you, I donâ??t know the answer to that question,â?? he said.

The interview also covered several outbreaks involving the US food supply. Brennan cited a cyclospora outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce from Mexico, salmonella risks involving several food products and the impact of screwworm on beef supplies.

Bhattacharya said the cyclospora outbreak was larger than in typical years but that federal agencies were tracing contaminated products and working with suppliers on recalls.

â??Weâ??re working hard to make sure that the contaminated sources donâ??t get onto the shelves,â?? he said. Bhattacharya advised consumers worried about lettuce to wash it carefully, discard the outer leaves or cook their vegetables.

/IANS