Former CDC director Susan Monarez on Wednesday alleged that US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr dismissed her over her refusal to approve changes to childhood vaccine schedules not supported by scientific evidence .
Also Read : New RFK Jr report pushes child health policies; key takeaways
Monarez was ousted on August 27, less than a month after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
“Even under pressure I could not replace evidence with ideology, or compromise my integrity,” Monarez told the Senate Health Committee, adding that “vaccine policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes.”
She also accused Kennedy of asking her to “rubber-stamp” all recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which he recently overhauled. The health secretary sacked all of its members, replacing them with people whose views mirror his own vaccine skepticism.
Her testimony contradicts Kennedy’s earlier claim that he only asked her to keep an “open mind” and that she was ultimately “untrustworthy.”
'Kennedy must resign'
Former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry, one of several senior officials who left the agency after Monarez’s ouster, also testified, saying Kennedy “censored CDC science, politicized its processes and stripped leaders of independence.”
Houry added that, given the pressure placed on scientists and recent child deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases, “I think he should resign.”
The allegations come in the wake of the worst US measles outbreak in over 30 years, with more than 1,400 confirmed cases and three deaths, including two children.
Also Read : New RFK Jr report pushes child health policies; key takeaways
Monarez was ousted on August 27, less than a month after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
“Even under pressure I could not replace evidence with ideology, or compromise my integrity,” Monarez told the Senate Health Committee, adding that “vaccine policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes.”
She also accused Kennedy of asking her to “rubber-stamp” all recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which he recently overhauled. The health secretary sacked all of its members, replacing them with people whose views mirror his own vaccine skepticism.
Her testimony contradicts Kennedy’s earlier claim that he only asked her to keep an “open mind” and that she was ultimately “untrustworthy.”
'Kennedy must resign'
Former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry, one of several senior officials who left the agency after Monarez’s ouster, also testified, saying Kennedy “censored CDC science, politicized its processes and stripped leaders of independence.”
Houry added that, given the pressure placed on scientists and recent child deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases, “I think he should resign.”
The allegations come in the wake of the worst US measles outbreak in over 30 years, with more than 1,400 confirmed cases and three deaths, including two children.
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