Texas public health officials say they are used to setting the record straight when it comes to vaccinations and other scientifically sound treatments, but after President-elect Donald Trump’s top Cabinet picks, Some people are preparing for further challenges.
President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has sounded the alarm to policy experts across the country. Most recently, President Trump announced that Dr. Mehmet Oz will be the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Terry Burke, who heads the Partnership for Immunization, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration could lose funding under the Kennedy administration. Health and immunization guidance for school districts could be weakened. And the misinformation that was already circulating after the pandemic is likely to get even worse.
“All of this could have a chilling effect on innovation and development,” she said at the Texas Vaccine Policy Symposium last month. “Will vaccine manufacturers want to produce vaccines if the market becomes smaller? Will academic institutions work on vaccine research and development in a difficult climate?”
Much remains unclear about how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plans for the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services will play out. President Kennedy, who has repeatedly made baseless claims that vaccines cause autism and other misinformation, is mocking his plan to “Make America Healthy Again.” A central goal of this plan is to eliminate chronic disease.
He previously told NPR that federal health officials under his leadership have no intention of “taking vaccines away from anyone.” He also expressed doubts about existing vaccine safety studies.
Kennedy can’t ban vaccines, but he could change the incentives for school districts to require vaccinations, said Jennifer Cates, senior vice president at the health policy nonprofit KFF. Kennedy will also oversee the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which makes recommendations to local governments about which vaccines to mandate for school-age children.
“They are just recommendations, so states still have to choose whether to follow them or use them differently,” Cates said. “But what the public health agencies say matters. It matters whether they issue a recommendation.”
State exemptions and limitations
Terry Burke, who leads the Immunization Partnership, said Kennedy’s “conspiracy-filled thinking” is not new to the state.
“The future of the nation runs through Texas,” she said.
In addition to the ban on mandating COVID-19 vaccines, state laws and regulations also prevent state health department-funded agencies from promoting vaccines.
Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang said that hesitancy extends from the COVID-19 vaccine to shots that have been around for decades.
Huang points to the percentage of K-12 students whose parents seek exemptions based on “reasons of conscience,” such as religious beliefs. The percentage of students receiving conscientious exemptions increased from 1.35% in 2013 to 3.63% in the 2023-2024 school year.
“We were victims of (vaccine) success. When was the last time we saw a case of polio?” Huang said. “It’s because of vaccination, but people forget that. And it’s been so successful that people are now starting to think, ‘Oh, do we still need this?’ I forget how warm it was.”
Huang said he is concerned about the potential negative impact on federal funding for public health efforts. He also worries about the impact on public health of having a prominent vaccine skeptic as a national authority.
“If people in trusted leadership positions don’t promote the science and the actual information that’s out there, it can further erode trust, spread fear, and influence the policy decisions that support it. ” he said.
Dr. Lane Iena, who practices in Huntsville and is a board member of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, said that while pro-vaccine leaders have the support, medical professionals are on the front lines of fighting misinformation in their communities. spoke.
“It’s good to see this as an opportunity to talk to patients. Instead of just saying, ‘You need to get this because you need it,’ say, ‘Look, this is why I think you should get this. ‘It’s a good thing to explain.’Here’s why my family does this: “Here’s why I think that’s good for you,” he said.
Aiena added that he tries not to focus on who is in the White House or in charge of Health and Human Services.
“I think this is a big message that we as doctors need to keep in mind, because at the end of the day, the pendulum is going to swing back and forth depending on how people feel about the vaccine,” he said. .
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