RFK Jr. won't back CDC director on vaccines as agency scraps positive data

RFK Jr. declines to endorse CDC director nominee's stance on vaccine safety, as agency faces scrutiny over data presentation. | Contesto: cronaca

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• RFK Jr. won't back CDC director on vaccines as agency scraps positive data

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In a contentious confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Tuesday, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declined to endorse Dr. Mandy Cohen, the nominee for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the fundamental safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines. Kennedy’s testimony, which framed vaccine policy as a matter of free speech and transparency rather than public health consensus, sets the stage for a renewed political clash over the agency's authority and messaging as it seeks new leadership. The hearing highlighted a deep and persistent rift in American discourse, where established public health institutions are increasingly challenged on their core mandates. Kennedy, a longtime activist and critic of vaccine mandates and pharmaceutical influence, argued that the CDC has historically suppressed dissenting views and manipulated data to support predetermined policy outcomes. His presence as a witness, unusual for a presidential candidate in a cabinet-level confirmation, underscored the political potency of vaccine skepticism and signaled that public health appointments are now frontline battles in a broader culture war. This confrontation arrives at a moment of acute vulnerability for the CDC. The agency is still working to rebuild public trust eroded during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was marked by shifting guidance, political interference, and widespread public confusion. Dr. Cohen, a former North Carolina health secretary and senior Obama administration official, is widely viewed as a capable technocrat. However, her nomination has become a proxy for debates far beyond her qualifications, focusing instead on the perceived sins and future direction of the institution she has been tapped to lead. Compounding the agency's challenges are recent internal decisions regarding data presentation. According to sources familiar with the matter, CDC officials have directed staff to cease highlighting positive trends in certain public health data reports, opting for a more neutral, fact-based presentation without editorial emphasis. Proponents argue this move ensures...

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Categoria: cronaca