America is watching foodborne illnesses and vaccine-preventable diseases surge while the secretary of Health and Human Services tells us to “eat real food.” The irony is hard to miss.

Jalapeño-linked salmonella has sickened hundreds across multiple states. Cyclospora has produced waves of debilitating illness.

A massive egg recall tied to a multistate salmonella outbreak involved more than 1.5 million dozen eggs. Investigators from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have linked recalled eggs to an outbreak that, as of late July, had sickened about 100 people in 17 states and hospitalized 26.

These are not abstract statistics. They are parents watching children suffer, businesses throwing away food, people who don’t feel safe eating a salad or omelet, and a food supply that feels less reliable by the day.

I do not raise these concerns lightly. My public health training and much of my work as U.S. surgeon general focused on chronic diseases – notably, my call to action on hypertension control.

High blood pressure remains a leading driver of heart disease, stroke and premature death. I’ve never believed that chronic disease is a secondary concern. America’s chronic disease burden is crushing – and any serious health improvement strategy must confront it.

That’s why HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s past statement that we should “give infectious disease a break for eight years” reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of public health. You cannot effectively focus on chronic diseases while you're being repeatedly overwhelmed by acute infectious outbreaks.

Fighting foodborne illnesses and chronic disease isn't an either-or choice

Uncontrolled........

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