HHS Secretary RFK Jr. moves to back vaccine for measles…..
But only so far….
In a sharp break with his past rhetoric, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered a qualified embrace of the measles vaccine on Thursday, as President Trump named a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention whose views on vaccination are more conventional than Mr. Kennedy’s.
In back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill, Mr. Kennedy testified that the measles vaccine is safe and effective “for most people” and agreed it was safer than getting measles. Under questioning, he also allowed that the vaccine might have saved the lives of two unvaccinated children who died of measles in Texas earlier this year.
His comments, while carefully couched, stand in stark contrast to his previous statements about vaccination. Coupled with Mr. Trump’s announcement of Dr. Erica Schwartz, a deputy surgeon general in his first administration, as his new pick for C.D.C. director, they provided the latest evidence yet that Mr. Kennedy is trying to publicly put his efforts to overhaul American vaccine policy behind him.
In the past, Mr. Kennedy has said vaccination should be a personal choice, and advised parents of newborns to “do your own research” before deciding whether to vaccinate children. During the measles outbreak, he acknowledged that the vaccine was the best way to prevent transmission, but steered clear of pronouncing it safe and effective…
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A CDC Director that supports vaccines also with RFK Jr’s support?
Trump to Nominate Doctor Who Has Publicly Supported Vaccines as C.D.C. Director
President Trump has selected Dr. Erica Schwartz, a physician and vaccine supporter, as his nominee to become the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the clearest signal yet that the White House is veering away from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism in the lead up to the midterm elections.
Mr. Trump announced the nomination in a social media post on Thursday.
If the Senate confirms her, as is required by law, Dr. Schwartz would be the agency’s fourth leader in just over a year. She would face the formidable task of managing C.D.C. employees who have survived widespread layoffs, a shooting at the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta and plummeting public trust. Dr. Schwartz did not respond to requests for comment.
Dr. Schwartz, who holds degrees in biomedical engineering, medicine, public health and law, served as a deputy surgeon general during President Trump’s first term. She is viewed as a highly qualified, traditional choice for the agency’s director. In social media posts, she has praised vaccines as a cornerstone of prevention, but has also extolled the virtues of a healthy diet and exercise, ideas aligned with Mr. Kennedy’s focus on chronic diseases.
In a social media post, Mr. Kennedy said he looked forward to working with Dr. Schwartz “to restore trust, accountability, and scientific integrity at the @CDCgov so we can return it to its core mission and Make America Healthy Again.”….
Note…
Somebody, above these two’s pay grade, has decided that vaccines is NOT a place for the Trump admin to be hostile to politically I’d bet….
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