Effects on the health department

Dear Editor,

The good, the bad, the ugly: RFK‘s effects on the department of health.

First, the good.

There is a kernel of wisdom in the dramatic changes being proposed in CDC‘s health recommendations. It’s clear that a diet high in sugar and highly processed food has led to an epidemic of obesity in our country. These foods are engineered to induce craving, and in many cases are empty of essential nutrients and full of sugar, salt, and fat. I applaud the focus on reducing the presence of these manufactured foods in our food system. 

Next, the bad. 

RFK and his followers jump to the conclusion that if we all just ate a healthy diet, that would be sufficient to protect us from infectious diseases. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. There is no doubt that good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle help to boost immunity and keep us more resistant to disease. 

However, RFK has been asserting falsely that vaccines are dangerous, that they cause untoward health effects, in spite of the fact that hundreds of rigorous studies have shown the safety of our vaccine program. In addition, vaccines that have been carefully developed over generations have led to drastic reductions, and in some cases elimination of many infectious diseases. 

Our mothers and grandmothers remember the serious nature of whooping cough, measles, and chickenpox. They lived in fear of polio in the early 50s. These diseases have not gone away - we don’t see them often because we are protected by vaccination. In my 40 years of medical practice, I saw one case of measles. Most current physicians have never seen a case.

In pockets of the country where there are too many unvaccinated people these diseases spread. There are frequent outbreaks of measles in under-vaccinated communities. We are best protected when over 90% of our community is vaccinated. When the rates drop, the diseases resurface.

One recent example of vaccine success is with Respiratory syncytial virus,  which affects young infants most seriously. RSV season is generally from December to February. It was routine at our hospital to have infants admitted with this disease. 10% of infants under four months of age with this infection used to require hospitalization. If you want to know how scary that is, talk to a parent of a child who went through intensive respiratory therapy in the hospital, struggling to breathe. 

In 2024 RSV vaccinations became available and the rate of hospitalization of RSV infected infants dropped by over 50%.  Now the CDC under Kennedy is saying that this vaccine should be optional in spite of the incredible protection provided.

There are many other changes to the vaccination schedule recommendations that make no sense, too many to address with this letter.

Now the ugly.

All this talk based on bad information questioning vaccine safety is very harmful to our faith in science. Medical recommendations change over time based on evolving knowledge. We need to have trust in our public health officials to make policy for our safety. The vast majority of physicians, public health nurses, and health researchers have our best interests in mind. Unfortunately, the US Department of Health is currently lead by a political appointee who is making decisions that ignore the vast experience of medical science, and as a result he is eroding confidence in the very recommendations that keep us healthy and protected from disease.

The good people at the CDC are shocked and demoralized at this dangerous and ham-handed approach. RFK is dismantling the agency and firing so many experts who have spent a lifetime of study and commitment to advancing our health, and replacing them with anti-vax ideologues.  

We should not wait for another serious epidemic to expose the stupidity of these decisions. We are already seeing a significant increase in measles outbreaks related to poor vaccination rates. Other diseases will surely reemerge, unless the vast majority of Americans ignore these new guidelines and trust their doctors advice instead.

In the meantime, the best advice is to talk to your doctor because they know that vaccines are safe, and effective, and essential.

Sincerely yours,

Paul Biere

Dodgeville, WI