The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Demetre Daskalakis, resigned from his post following the firing of the agency’s director by the White House. Daskalakis cited philosophical differences with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which challenged his ability to continue in his current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. He criticized the CDC’s treatment of the CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than improve public health.
Daskalakis pointed to the recent change in the immunization schedule for children and pregnant women, stating that data analyses supporting this decision have never been shared with the CDC despite respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. He also lamented the lack of communication between HHS and CDC leadership before announcing major policy changes, which he said his staff then needed to substantiate with scientific analyses.
Daskalakis blasted the erosion of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies, saying it will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. He believed in nutrition, exercise, making our food supply healthier, and using vaccines to prevent death and disability.
Daskalakis and Houry were two of at least four top CDC officials that stepped down Wednesday after Monarez, who was sworn in as CDC director late last month, was ousted after refusing to resign.
