Polio Vaccination Debate: ACIP Chair Weighs In
- The disastrous consequences of RFK Jr.'s leadership at the helm of American health, and his reshaping of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for vaccines, continue...
- it's populated by anti-vaccine advocates who have already altered guidance on vaccines for COVID, Hep B, and childhood immunizations generally.
- Given the current trend of retro and nostalgia, it shouldn't be surprising that ACIP is seemingly longing for the return of other eradicated diseases.
The disastrous consequences of RFK Jr.’s leadership at the helm of American health, and his reshaping of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for vaccines, continue to unfold. It’s crucial to remember that during his confirmation hearings, Kennedy repeatedly misrepresented his position on vaccines.Senators like Bill Cassidy claimed they secured promises from Kennedy that he wouldn’t interfere with vaccination programs. These assurances were demonstrably false, a calculated maneuver to secure his confirmation, knowing the GOP would then shield him from accountability – even from something as drastic as impeachment.
The current ACIP is a failure. it’s populated by anti-vaccine advocates who have already altered guidance on vaccines for COVID, Hep B, and childhood immunizations generally. This is happening amidst a measles outbreak that has now lasted 13 months and is worsening,despite the disease having been officially eliminated over two decades ago.
Given the current trend of retro and nostalgia, it shouldn’t be surprising that ACIP is seemingly longing for the return of other eradicated diseases. The chair of ACIP has even publicly questioned the continued need for polio vaccinations.
The conversation began with a especially alarming statement:
Kirk Milhoan, who was appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in December, appeared on the aptly named podcast “Why Should I Trust You.” In the hour-long interview, Milhoan made a wide range of comments that have concerned medical experts and raised eyebrows.
Early into the discussion, Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist, declared, “I don’t like established science,” and that “science is what I observe.” He lambasted the evidence-based methodology that previous ACIP panels used to carefully and transparently craft vacci