WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent a lot of his affirmation course of earlier than turning into the nation’s well being secretary reassuring lawmakers that he wouldn’t undermine public confidence in vaccines and looking for to distance himself from the anti-vaccine group he based, Kids’s Well being Protection.
As well being secretary, he has put in former distinguished members of that group and different vaccine skeptics in positions on the division he runs or businesses it oversees.
The appointment of officers from CHD, together with a former president of the group, factors to the rising affect of anti-vaccine advocates at federal well being businesses since Kennedy took over in February. To former officers on the Division of Well being and Human Companies in addition to public well being consultants, the hires are the most recent indicators that Kennedy is embracing vaccine skepticism and undermining the general public well being equipment that critiques, approves, and recommends vaccines.
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