Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has claimed that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not been briefed by agency experts on measles, COVID-19, and the flu. Daskalakis stated that no one from his center has ever briefed him on these topics, suggesting that Kennedy may have alternate experts he may trust more than the experts at the CDC.
Daskalakis resigned from his post following the Trump administration’s dismissal of CDC Director Susan Monarez, who the White House said did not align with the president’s agenda. He decried new agency policies, arguing that decision-making was based on a political agenda rather than scientific evidence. Kennedy, known for his vaccine criticism, has been fired from a committee dedicated to providing CDC officials with recommendations to improve standing immunizations and replaced with individuals who promote anti-vaccine rhetoric. The Hill has contacted HHS for comment.
