(Louisiana Illuminator) — A concerning trend is emerging this year: access to safe, effective vaccines is being challenged as vaccine skeptics assume positions of authority. Their growing influence in health leadership places them in roles where they can shape policy at the highest levels of government, with far-reaching consequences for families across the country.
With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed as secretary of Health and Human Services, and former Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham named as the deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who have questioned vaccines now hold significant influence over national health policy. This shift in leadership is likely to shape public health in Louisiana and across the country.
We are already seeing the impacts of growing vaccine misinformation. Louisiana is facing its worst whooping cough outbreak in 35 years, with reports of delayed action by the Louisiana Department of Health hindering an effective public health response. Meanwhile, The United States is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in two decades — nearly 2,000 reported cases and the tragic deaths of at least two children. These illnesses could be prevented with more widespread vaccination coverage.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who spent decades treating patients and recommending vaccines, understands the importance of evidence-based prevention. As the chair of the Senate Health Committee, he has the authority — and responsibility — to exercise congressional oversight of the CDC’s Advisory Council on Immunization Practices and Secretary Kennedy, bringing transparency to the sweeping changes that threaten vaccine access. Cassidy has spoken out against vaccine rollbacks without scientific evidence. However, we need him to do more.
Recently, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to end its recommendation for the hepatitis B birth dose and Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill endorsed the change. This decision increases health risks for our children and create dangerous confusion for parents and providers.
The birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine:
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has historically been nonpartisan, grounding its recommendations in the best scientific evidence, rather than ideology. The most recent vote and the subsequent policy changes, however, depart from scientific evidence and weakens long-standing protections for infants and children.
These changes do not make America healthier. They create barriers for parents, who want nothing more than to keep their children safe and healthy. Parents consistently support common-sense policies guided by decades of rigorous research, and children deserve to attend school in places where they don’t risk death from a preventable illness.
This is not about politics. This is about parents’ ability to protect their children from preventable illnesses and death.Louisianans know too well the consequences when those in power fail to make clear recommendations based on the best science. We cannot afford to keep making the same mistakes.
Parents deserve the information and tools necessary to make the best decision for their families. We deserve clear, consistent guidance based on evidence. Louisiana deserves better.
Alma is the founder and president of the Louisiana Center for Health Equity, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. Established in 2010, LCHE works to eliminate health and healthcare disparities attributable to structural, institutional or social disadvantages. Alma is a registered nurse, former state civil servant, entrepreneur and public health advocate.
