CDC shake-up draws alarm from Georgia doctors, public health experts
Doctors concerned about shakeup at CDC
Some Georgia doctors say there are concerned about what is happening at the CDC.
ATLANTA - A major leadership shake-up at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is drawing sharp concern from doctors and public health experts, who warn that the turmoil could undermine confidence in vaccines and put public health policy at risk.
What we know:
The change comes after President Donald Trump fired CDC Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure. Her attorneys said she was removed because she "refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives." Four additional senior officials resigned this week, citing budget cuts, staff dismissals and what they described as misinformation about vaccines.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been reshaping federal vaccine policy, defended the move. "The agency is in trouble, and we need to fix it and we are fixing it," Kennedy said, adding, "It may be that some people should not be working there anymore." He also argued that new leadership was needed to carry out the president’s broader health agenda.
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What they're saying:
Local physicians say the shake-up could have dangerous consequences. Dr. Rob Dretler, an infectious disease specialist at Emory-Decatur Hospital and board member of the Infectious Disease Society of America, said he was "horrified" by the developments.
"The CDC undermining expertise and denying data is a very dangerous path to take," Dretler said. "If we have fragmented voices and voices that don’t like the data we gather, so they make up other things, that’s going to be very confusing."
Dr. Cecil Bennett, medical director at Newnan Family Medicine Associates and a member of Gov. Brian Kemp’s board for healthcare assessment, said his trust in the CDC has been shaken.
"The CDC has been an institution I’ve trusted since I’ve been a physician for over 20 years," Bennett said. "Now, I’m not so sure." He warned that reversing long-standing support for vaccinations could put lives at risk. "Vaccinations have been proven for a hundred years to be effective. Now we have a different administration saying they’re no longer effective. If we do not vaccinate our children, children are going to die unnecessarily."
What's next:
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, has already dismissed the CDC advisory panel responsible for determining who should receive vaccines. That panel is expected to meet next month to review new recommendations, though some lawmakers are urging that the meeting be canceled.