The CDC’s troubling new second in command, briefly explained.

2 hours ago7 min read

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America's foundational institution for public health guidance since its 1946 establishment to combat malaria, now faces an internal challenge that strikes at its scientific credibility with the quiet installation of Dr. Ralph Abraham as its principal deputy director.This appointment, conspicuously unannounced by the administration and brought to light only through diligent reporting by the Substack Inside Medicine, represents a profound philosophical shift within the agency's leadership. Dr.Abraham, a former congressman and Louisiana surgeon general, carries a documented history of aligning with anti-vaccine rhetoric that directly contradicts decades of established immunology. His record includes endorsing debunked Covid-19 treatments like ivermectin, halting childhood vaccination promotion campaigns in Louisiana, and failing to provide timely public alerts during whooping cough outbreaks—a lapse in fundamental public health protocol.This move must be understood within the broader, turbulent context of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s ongoing restructuring of federal health agencies, which has already seen the dismantling of a key CDC vaccine advisory panel and the removal of the agency's newly confirmed director, creating a leadership vacuum and prompting a worrisome exodus of seasoned public health officials. The strategic placement of a Kennedy ally like Abraham in the CDC's second-highest role is reminiscent of historical administrative power plays, where ideological loyalty is prioritized over technical expertise, potentially undermining the agency's ability to respond to future pandemics and eroding public trust in its recommendations. The consequence is a dangerous blurring of lines between evidence-based science and political ideology, creating a fertile ground for misinformation that could reverse decades of progress in disease eradication and leave the nation vulnerable to predictable health crises.

#CDC

#Ralph Abraham

#Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

#vaccines

#public health

#controversy

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