Public Health Digest: June 12–19, 2026
Three stories dominated the week. Nara Organics recalled all lots of its organic infant formula after 3 infant botulism hospitalizations across CA, PA, and WA — the second such recall in seven months. The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC surged to 896 confirmed cases (CFR 26%); the US PHSA entry ban expired June 17 with no extension announced. RFK Jr. overruled a CDC quarantine physician for the first time, and the ACIP's June 24–26 meeting vanished from the CDC website. Also covered: Clover Hill Dairy Listeria now in all cheeses, screwworm in 3 Texas counties, measles at 2,104 cases, and active Salmonella/Cyclospora outbreak investigations.
This week at a glance
| Date | Event | Entity | Scope | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13 | Nara Organics recalls all infant formula — 3 botulism cases (CA/PA/WA) | FDA / CDC | Target nationwide, nara.com | Class I recall |
| Jun 19 | WHO DON608: Ebola surges to 896 confirmed, 232 dead in DRC (CFR 26%) | WHO | DRC, Uganda | Outbreak escalation |
| Jun 17 | US PHSA travel ban on DRC/Uganda nationals expires with no extension found | CDC / HHS | US borders | Restriction lapse |
| Jun 16 | RFK Jr. overrules CDC doctor, keeps hantavirus-exposed passenger in federal quarantine | HHS / CDC | Nebraska NQU | Governance |
| Jun 19 | ACIP June 24–26 meeting removed from CDC website; 404 error | CDC | US | Vaccine policy |
| Jun 18 | Clover Hill Dairy expands Listeria recall to all cheese — 9 sick, 1 dead | FDA | MD/NY/VA/NJ/NC/DC | Recall expansion |
| Jun 9–10 | New World screwworm spreads to 3 Texas counties (Zavala, La Salle, Gillespie) | USDA | Texas | Pest/animal health |
| Jun 18 | US measles reaches 2,104 cases in 41 jurisdictions | CDC | US | Surveillance milestone |
| Jun 13 | Moringa supplement recall expands; cumulative 119 Salmonella cases, 36 states | FDA | Nationwide | Recall expansion |
| Jun 15 | DRC upgraded to Level 3 travel notice; Uganda added at Level 2 | CDC | DRC, Uganda | Travel notice |
Infant formula: Nara Organics recalled for botulism
Three infants — one each in California, Pennsylvania, and Washington state's Thurston County — were hospitalized with infant botulism after consuming Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula. All three survived; none died. On June 13, Nara Organics voluntarily recalled every lot of its formula currently on shelves: 16 batch codes across 700 g (UPC 860013251901) and 400 g (UPC 860013251918) canisters. 12
The product was sold at Target's 1,800+ US stores and on nara.com from July 2025 through June 2026. Nara holds less than 1% of the US infant formula market, so FDA does not expect a shortage. 2 The formula is manufactured in Germany; FDA contacted Nara on June 10, recommended the recall on June 12, and the company agreed on June 13. Laboratory testing of the formula has not yet detected Clostridium botulinum contamination; results from state health departments are expected within weeks. 3
This is the second infant formula botulism recall in seven months. ByHeart recalled its organic formula in November 2025 after a comparable outbreak — and when that recall happened, ByHeart's Instagram account recommended Nara Organics as a substitute, posting an 80%-off discount code that was quietly deleted on June 16. ByHeart has since stated the two companies are "completely separate" with no corporate, manufacturing, or financial relationship. 4 FDA had inspected both of Nara's European contract manufacturers before the recall and found deficiencies at each facility; those facilities have submitted corrective actions now under FDA review. Sarah Sorscher of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) put it plainly: "Two outbreaks in less than a year show that ByHeart was not a unique accident." 4
What parents should do:
- Stop using all Nara Organics infant formula immediately. This applies to every lot code — not just the three linked to confirmed cases.
- Photograph the lot code (printed on the can bottom next to the QR code) before discarding or setting aside.
- Botulism symptoms in infants include poor feeding, weak cry, reduced facial expression, constipation, floppy muscle tone, and difficulty holding up the head. Symptoms can appear up to several weeks after the infant last consumed the formula. 1
- If your infant shows symptoms: go to an emergency room immediately. Physicians can reach the Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program's 24/7 clinical line at 510-231-7600.
- Refunds: Purchases made on nara.com in May–June 2026 are automatically refunded (allow 10–15 days). Purchases made March–April 2026 require a photo of the can bottom submitted at nara.com/refund-request-form. Target purchases (700 g only) can be returned in-store or through Target's standard online return process.
Ebola Bundibugyo: 896 confirmed, CFR jumps to 26%
WHO's Disease Outbreak News update DON608, published June 19, reports 896 confirmed cases and 232 deaths in DRC as of June 17, plus 19 confirmed cases and 2 deaths in Uganda as of June 18 — a combined total of 915 confirmed cases and 234 deaths. 5 In the seven days since DON607 (which captured data through June 10), DRC added 220 confirmed cases and 96 deaths. The case fatality rate (CFR) climbed from 20.1% to 26% — WHO notes that this figure likely understates the true toll because many deaths before the outbreak was declared are still being investigated. 5
The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri Province, which accounts for 91% of DRC's confirmed cases (817 of 896), centered on Bunia city (247 cases), Rwampara (195 cases), and Mongbwalu (189 cases). 5 The virus has now reached 33 health zones across Ituri, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu — four more zones than last week. Contact tracing coverage stands at roughly 70% in Ituri and Nord-Kivu; in South Kivu it is 100%, but with only one affected zone there.
On the funding side, CDC announced on June 18 that it is releasing $107 million from the Infectious Disease Rapid Response Reserve Fund to expand the international response and domestic preparedness. More than 125 CDC staff are deployed in DRC and Uganda. The US State Department has committed more than $270 million to response activities as of June 12, plus $50 million to CEPI for accelerated vaccine development. 6 Despite those pledges, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya warned at a June 17 virtual summit in Burundi that of the $910 million pledged globally, less than 10% — under $90 million — has actually reached affected countries. More than 26,000 identified contacts have gone missing from monitoring: "We are missing more than 26,000 people, and we don't know where they are, and we don't know if they are contaminating other people." 7
A Reuters field report from June 19 found that at least 30 people had died since early May at the Kigonze displacement camp in Bunia — a settlement of more than 15,000 residents — all with symptoms consistent with Ebola. The camp typically sees one to three deaths per month; in the week of June 15–19 alone, ten people were buried. 8 Health workers collected samples from five deceased residents on June 19 and are awaiting results. A camp spokesperson described conditions: "The latrines, they fill up very quickly, and people have to empty them themselves, with their bare hands." 8 Eastern DRC has more than five million displaced persons across hundreds of similar camps.
Uganda, by contrast, has recorded no new confirmed cases since June 5 — 13 consecutive days without a detection. Its 19 cumulative cases (all linked to cross-border importation, with five secondary transmissions in Kampala and Wakiso districts) are under active follow-up; 694 of 826 contacts have completed their 21-day monitoring. WHO still rates Uganda's risk as high because of the ongoing corridor between eastern DRC and western Uganda. 5
The entry ban question
The US Public Health Service Act (PHSA) order — signed May 18 under 42 CFR 71.40, suspending the entry of non-US nationals and lawful permanent residents who had been in DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the prior 21 days — carried a 30-day expiration date: June 17. As of the time this digest was prepared, the Federal Register contained no extension notice, CDC had issued no statement on the order's status, and CBP/DHS had published no related announcement. CDC's own June 18 press conference, featuring Dr. Satish Pillai (Ebola response incident manager) and Dr. Cria Gregory (World Cup event manager), did not mention the ban's status. Yet CDC's June 19 situation summary continues to describe enhanced screening at IAD, ATL, IAH, and JFK in the present tense without citing a current legal authority. 9 The legal basis for continued airport screening operations is unclear; watch the Federal Register and CDC news releases for any formal action.
On the vaccine front, four CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)-funded Bundibugyo vaccine candidates remain in preclinical development: an IAVI rVSV platform ($3.2M, estimated 7–9 months to trial), Moderna mRNA (up to $50M, parallel manufacturing), Oxford/Serum Institute of India ChAdOx1 ($8.6M, 2–3 months to trial-readiness), and a Public Health Vaccines rVSV platform ($1.9M). 10 None has yet registered a clinical trial.
Travel guidance:
- DRC: Level 3 — Avoid nonessential travel. Updated June 15 to specifically name Ituri, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu provinces as the affected areas. 11
- Uganda: Level 2 — Practice enhanced precautions (new as of June 15). 11
- Travelers returning from either country in the past 21 days: contact your state health department and monitor for fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or unexplained bleeding.
RFK Jr. overrules CDC on quarantine
On June 16, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed an order keeping Angela Perryman, 47, of Florida, confined at the National Quarantine Unit (NQU) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — overruling a June 11 recommendation by CDC quarantine medical reviewer Dr. Michael Bell. Bell's nine-page report concluded that Perryman, who had been aboard the hantavirus-affected cruise ship MV Hondius, had tested negative for Andes virus and showed no symptoms, and that "this less restrictive alternative is adequate to protect public health" — meaning home monitoring with once-daily telehealth check-ins through Florida health officials. 12 Florida had refused to provide the continuous 24/7 surveillance CDC required; Kennedy's order did not engage with any point in Bell's report, stating only that "continuation of the order is necessary to protect public health." 12
Perryman told CNN: "I'm being held hostage in this power struggle between a state and the federal government." 12
As of CDC's June 18 update, 6 people remain at the NQU (down from 8 a week earlier), and 12 have returned home to complete their 42-day monitoring period under state health department supervision. All 18 remain symptom-free; no US Andes virus infections have been confirmed. 13 The MV Hondius resumed passenger operations June 13 from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, carrying 137 passengers with a physician on board. 14
This appears to be the first time an HHS Secretary has personally overruled a CDC quarantine medical reviewer's determination, according to CNN's reporting. The federal quarantine authority itself — an initial order signed by CDC Acting Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya under the Public Health Service Act on May 19 — remains in effect.
Vaccine policy: ACIP meeting disappears
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — the expert panel that sets the US childhood and adult vaccine schedule — was scheduled to meet June 24–26. As of this week, that meeting has been removed from the CDC website with no public explanation; the ACIP meetings page (cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/index.html) now returns a 404 error. The next listed ACIP meeting is October 21–23. 15
A federal court stay issued March 16 by Judge Brian Murphy (US District Court, Massachusetts) continues to block ACIP from meeting or issuing vaccine recommendations. CIDRAP's assessment: "In any practical sense there is no functional recommending body at this time." 15 At least 12 states have decoupled their vaccine guidance from CDC/ACIP, relying instead on the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule or their own state health officers.
On June 10, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published an independent 2026 Maternal Immunization Schedule, endorsed by 13 medical, nursing, and pharmacy organizations, that recommends Tdap, RSV, influenza, and COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy — directly diverging from CDC guidance that has been withdrawn under the current administration. 15
Separately, FDA has advised manufacturers that the 2026–27 COVID-19 vaccine should use a JN.1-lineage XFG monovalent formulation, following a unanimous 8–0 VRBPAC (Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee) vote on May 28. 16 With no functioning ACIP, the rollout of who-should-receive guidance — and coverage under the Vaccines for Children program — remains unresolved for the fall season.
What to do: For vaccine guidance, check the AAP schedule at aap.org, the ACOG maternal immunization schedule, or your state health department. Do not delay vaccinations waiting for ACIP to resolve.
Food and product safety recalls
Clover Hill Dairy — Listeria in all cheese products
Clover Hill Dairy (Mechanicsville, MD) expanded its Listeria monocytogenes recall on June 18 from soft ricotta and requeson to all cheese products from the facility. Products now covered include hard and soft cheddars, White Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Marble Jack, Smoked Cheddar, Jalapeño Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Old Bay Cheddar, and Horseradish Cheddar, sold under the Clover Hill name and five repackaged brands: KESSO, QUESOS LA RICURA, IZALCO, DE MI PUEBLO, and RIO LINDO. 17
The outbreak has sickened 9 people across Maryland, New York, and Virginia — 8 have been hospitalized and 1 has died. Six product samples and one environmental sample from the facility have tested positive for the outbreak strain. Distribution was confirmed across MD, NJ, NY, NC, VA, and DC. 17
Action: Discard any cheese bearing the Clover Hill Dairy name or plant number 24-128 on the label. Listeria poses the greatest risk to pregnant individuals, adults 65 and older, and the immunocompromised. Seek care for fever, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea following soft cheese consumption.
Other active recalls and outbreak updates
| Product / Outbreak | Hazard | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moringa supplements — TNVitamins Ultra Potent / Doctor's Pride Complete Green Superfood | Salmonella | Recall expanded June 13 (new lots 2725, 2503104); 119 confirmed cases, 32 hospitalized, 36 states across this outbreak. A separate Live It Up Super Greens investigation was reopened in May after 22 additional cases; its cumulative total is also 119 cases/32 hospitalized/36 states 18 | Stop using all affected lots; sold on Amazon, Walmart, Target, TikTok |
| Salmonella Enteritidis (outbreak ref #1378) | Salmonella Enteritidis | Cases rose from 62 to 68; food source still unidentified; FDA traceback ongoing 19 | No product to avoid yet; monitor updates |
| Cyclospora (outbreak ref #1381) | Cyclospora cayetanensis | New investigation opened this week; source unknown 19 | Monitor updates |
| Coffee Connexion Alfredo sauce (Class I) | Salmonella — dry milk ingredient | 913 boxes of 3 lb 7 oz dry pouches (UPC 0039954921963) distributed to 41 states; no illness reported 20 | Discard or return; distributed through foodservice channels |
| Beekeeper's Naturals nasal spray (Lot #5950) | Aspergillus mold | ~585 units, sold on Amazon April 2–24; 4 adverse reactions reported 21 | Check Amazon order history; stop use; immunocompromised individuals should consult a physician |
Disease surveillance
Measles: 2,104 cases, 41 jurisdictions
CDC's June 18 update puts confirmed 2026 US measles cases at 2,104 in 41 jurisdictions — up 31 from the June 11 count. 22 Thirty active outbreaks are ongoing; 93% of cases (1,957) are outbreak-associated. The 2025 full-year record of 2,288 cases has not been broken yet, but at the current pace of roughly 31 cases per week it could be surpassed within six weeks. Zero deaths have been recorded in 2026; the hospitalization rate is 6% (131 patients), compared with 11% in 2025.
PAHO (the Pan American Health Organization) is scheduled to evaluate whether the US retains its measles elimination status — first achieved in 2000 — during 2026. 23 Elimination requires that transmission chains last fewer than 12 months; several 2026 outbreaks have already run longer than that threshold.
MMWR Issue 23 (June 18) published an early report on the initial public health response to a measles outbreak in a close-knit West Texas community. 24
Action: Confirm MMR vaccination for everyone in your household. The US is below the 95% coverage threshold needed for herd immunity. Infants under 12 months old cannot yet receive MMR and depend on vaccination in those around them.
New World screwworm: now in 3 Texas counties
New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax — a parasitic fly whose larvae infest open wounds of warm-blooded animals) has now been confirmed in three Texas counties: Zavala (first US mainland detection since 1966, June 4), La Salle (June 9), and Gillespie (June 9–10). Total US cases stand at 6, all in animals. Gillespie County declared a local disaster on June 10. 2526
USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission have 75 personnel responding on the ground; quarantine zones are in place; sterile fly release operations started from Moore Air Base in Edinburg. FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization on June 11 for a generic over-the-counter drug to treat NWS in dogs and cats. No human cases have been reported. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins: "This does not affect the food supply system. This is not a virus. It is not a disease. It is a pest." 26
Action for livestock owners and pet owners in South and Central Texas: Inspect animals regularly for any larvae in wounds. Report suspected cases to local veterinarians or USDA APHIS. People with open wounds outdoors should keep them covered and use EPA-registered insect repellent.
What to watch next week
- Federal Register / CDC: Will the expired PHSA travel ban be formally extended, replaced, or officially allowed to lapse?
- Uganda-DRC border: Closed since May 27 for a four-week period; a review is expected around June 24.
- ACIP: Will the June 24–26 meeting cancellation receive an official explanation? Will a new meeting be scheduled before October?
- Nara Organics botulism: Will additional cases emerge as infants who consumed recalled formula in April–May are still within the potential incubation window?
- Bundibugyo vaccines: Is any CEPI-funded candidate on track to register a clinical trial this summer?
Cover image: CDC 2026 Ebola affected-area map (June 19, 2026). U.S. Government / Public Domain.
References
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11CDC: Travel Health Notices
wwwnc.cdc.gov
- 12
- 13
- 14hantavirus.one: MV Hondius outbreak timeline
hantavirus.one
- 15CIDRAP: The State of US Vaccine Policy — June 11, 2026
cidrap.umn.edu
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19Marler Blog: New Outbreaks under FDA's Eye
marlerblog.com
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23Healthline: Measles Outbreak 2026
healthline.com
- 24CDC MMWR Home Page
cdc.gov
- 25
- 26
This story was produced automatically by a channel. One sentence is all it takes for Neodrop to keep producing for you.