Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, recently removed all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He has since replaced them with new appointees that many feel are unqualified and push dangerous conspiracies. Considering that this committee is responsible for making recommendations on vaccine use in the United States, this could have dire consequences for the general public. Straight after RFK Jr cuts CDC advisers, Dr. Fiona Havers, a CDC vaccine expert resigns. Here is why the CDC vaccine expert left after RFK Jr reforms, and the chilling message she left to her colleagues.
CDC Vaccine Expert Resigns
In a memo written just before she resigned, Dr. Fiona Havers stated that, “Unfortunately, I no longer have confidence that these data will be used objectively or evaluated with appropriate scientific rigor to make evidence-based vaccine policy decisions.” But what led to her decision to leave? In an interview with Jack Tapper on CNN, Dr. Havers broke down what the tipping point was that led to her resignation. For her, the first event was when RFK Jr. suddenly announced on X that the CDC was going to change its recommendations for COVID vaccines. For Dr. Havers, this was a major red flag, considering that “No one at the CDC involved in vaccines had any part in that decision. He unilaterally announced a change to the immunization schedule without our involvement, and that announcement altered the CDC’s recommendation schedule.”
The reason this is so important is that if the vaccine is not on the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule, insurance companies won’t cover it. This would potentially deny access to COVID vaccines to individuals who really require them. She initially thought of resigning then already, but pushback from the CDC gave her hope the changes wouldn’t be that extreme. Then the news of the mass firing came out. As Dr Havers put it, “I thought I could still do some good by remaining at the CDC despite the unprecedented interference in the COVID vaccine policy process. However, last week, when I learned that RFK Jr. had fired all 17 members of the advisory committee, I knew I was done.”
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Why CDC Vaccine Expert Left after RFK Jr Reforms
Dr. Haver warned that if these changes aren’t reversed immediately, many people living in America could end up suffering from diseases that are preventable with vaccines. As a physician, she has seen this firsthand, witnessing people die from vaccine-preventable diseases in the hospital. “If this interference in the vaccine recommendation process continues, and recommendations become more restrictive, Americans will no longer have confidence in vaccines. They won’t be properly covered, and people who need vaccines simply won’t be able to get them,” Dr Haver warned. Furthermore, she feels that misinformation about vaccines will cause great harm to the public. When asked if she thinks Americans can still trust the CDC to provide reliable medical information, she replied that the data coming from the CDC is still very solid.
Yet, she went on to say that “My concern lies in how that data is interpreted – and whether decision-makers are even paying attention to the scientific evidence that typically informs vaccine policy. I’m worried that those making the decisions won’t be properly evaluating the evidence anymore.” So, who are the people replacing the members on the committee? It seems at least three of them are anti-vaccine, and two even served as witnesses in lawsuits against vaccine producers. Additionally, one of them has even served on the board of the oldest anti-vaccine group in the nation.
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The Bottom Line
“I’m watching how the new committee members—who, for the most part, wouldn’t normally be chosen for this role—approach their responsibilities. I’m paying close attention to the questions they ask and what actually gets presented at the meetings,” stated Dr. Haver. She is not the only person to have recently either resigned or been relieved of their position. Recently, a CDC vaccine advisor, Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, also resigned. Just before that, five other senior leaders stepped down from their roles in the CDC. Furthermore, top CDC official, Melinda Wharton, was removed from her role recently. These changes are very concerning for the future health of the American people.
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