The vaccine expert warns “Americans will die” because RFK Jr. tries to replace the advisers he released

Senior vaccine expert at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave up the protest, warning that the Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Huge changes in vaccine and leadership policy are exposed to public health.

The respected infectious disease specialist Dr. Fiona Havers gave way after 13 years at CDC on Monday, citing Kennedy’s decision to release all 17 members Vaccine advisory panel last week. Of the eight mentioned so far, half is known as skeptical for vaccines.

“If this is not stopped, and some of them are not inverted, as many Americans immediately die as a result of vaccine preventing diseases,” Havers he said New York Times in her first public remarks from the time of resignation.

Her departure means a second loud resignation from CDC in recent weeks, after the resignation of Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, another vaccine policy leader.

Kennedy’s cleansing was directed by the Advisory Committee for Vaccination Practices (ACIP), a key body that reviews data and helps specify the national guidelines of vaccines. The committee has a huge impact: its recommendations affect insurance protection and school vaccine fines.

“This is a very transparent, rigorous process, and they have just taken a hammer to it in the last few weeks,” said Dr. Havers. “CDC processes are damaged in a way that I have not seen before.”

Dr. Havers was preparing to present a new data committee when she resigned. “It could not be a party to the legitimacy of this new committee,” she said. “I just wasn’t sure that the data we generate would be used objectively.”

Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician Stanford dismissed from the committee by Kennedy, warned that the loss of voices such as Havers continues to weaken the nation’s ability to respond to threat to infectious diseases. “It also shows chaos and lack of support that our federal health agencies currently experience,” added Maldonado.

Dr. Camille Kotton, who left the ACIP last year, repeated their fears. “It seems more and more likely that we will not be able to trust information from CDC,” she said.

Kennedy claimed that “97%” ACIP had conflicts of interest and rejected extensive research on vaccine safety. “Nobody has the idea of ​​what are the risk profiles on these products,” he he said At Fox News last week. Despite the facts who question his claims, Kennedy claims that his actions should inspire trust, not degrade.

“Decisions on vaccine policy will be based on objective data, transparent analysis and evidence – not conflicts of interests or industry influence,” said HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon.

While Dr. Havers claims that firing last week was “the last straw” for her, she praised those who still serve. “I have the highest respect for my colleagues from CDC who stay and still try to limit damage from the inside,” she said.