OPINION:
Our country’s public health officials shoulder tremendous responsibility: to safeguard the nation’s health and guide Americans toward longer, healthier lives. When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was testifying before the Senate to be confirmed as health and human services secretary, he promised to do just that, telling committee members he would “put the nation back on the road to health.” Since his confirmation, the nation has veered off course.
The United States is experiencing the highest measles case count in 33 years, while measles-mumps-rubella vaccination rates continue to decline. This is happening despite overwhelming consensus and countless studies that confirm the measles vaccine is safe and effective. Instead of guiding Americans toward health, Mr. Kennedy is taking steps backward in disease prevention.
It is alarming that Mr. Kennedy’s consistent rhetoric of vaccine misinformation has been given a platform, arguably the most influential in public health.
His conspiracist views on vaccination were key concerns throughout his confirmation process. During his Senate hearings, members pressed him on his anti-vaccine positions and whether they would interfere with the office’s responsibilities. Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican, brought a particularly experienced perspective to the conversations as a physician who understands the importance of vaccines.
Although there was uncertainty over how Mr. Cassidy cast his vote, he made clear in a speech on the Senate floor that in discussions with the nominee, Mr. Kennedy had given reassurance that his prior vaccination rhetoric would not interfere with his duty to American public health.
Mr. Cassidy said on the Senate floor, “If confirmed, [Mr. Kennedy] will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — without changes.”
However, Mr. Kennedy’s actions contradicted that promise.
Mr. Kennedy fired every expert on the CDC’s advisory committee. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices provides scientifically grounded vaccine guidance, which helps determine which vaccines are used in the United States and covered by health insurance. Mr. Kennedy replaced the committee with people who were unqualified and actively promoted vaccine misinformation.
Among the new appointees is Vicky Pebsworth, a board member of the National Vaccine Information Center, a group well-known for its history of spreading vaccine disinformation, and Dr. Robert Malone, who has falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines cause a form of AIDS.
In addition to increasing measles cases and decreasing vaccination rates, Americans should be concerned about this disruption to the advisory committee. Mr. Kennedy is using his political power to appoint ideologues, not to make the nation healthier. With these unqualified members determining which vaccines insurance companies will cover, Americans may lose insurance coverage for standard vaccinations. This could cause out-of-pocket prices to skyrocket, with MMR vaccines costing up to $280 a dose and the HPV vaccine exceeding $300. American families would suffer, both in health and financially, under the guidance of Mr. Kennedy’s unfit leadership and appointees.
Mr. Kennedy’s actions are meant to undermine vaccine infrastructure, increasing the risk of preventable outbreaks, which ultimately threaten lives. We can’t risk a sicker America, and that’s the road we’re heading down with Mr. Kennedy at the helm of the Health and Human Services Department. This will have a far-reaching negative impact, now and for generations to come.
Mr. Kennedy is early in his tenure, and there is still time for him to uphold his promises and champion science-based approaches to health policy. If he doesn’t, leaders in Congress and the White House should do everything within their powers to demand change.
• Rear Adm. Kenneth Moritsugu, M.D., was the acting surgeon general of the United States and served as deputy surgeon general.
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