Vaccines save lives — RFK Jr.’s leadership could endanger them

Allison Alvine, MD and Angie Wehrkamp
The Argus Leader

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), an immensely important role ensuring the health and safety of all Americans. This nomination raises serious concerns among public health advocates, health care professionals, scientists and experts, and countless parents like us.

Childhood vaccination rates are dropping in South Dakota and nationwide thanks to a surge in vaccine misinformation. Even small decreases in vaccination rates can have devastating consequences for communities, especially for babies, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Mr. Kennedy is responsible for spreading this misinformation, repeatedly questioning vaccine safety despite overwhelming scientific evidence showing that vaccines are one of the safest and most effective public health tools. His nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, promotes baseless fears, undermining long-established science and revealing an unjustifiably aggressive stance against childhood vaccinations. His claims are in direct opposition to the facts: Rigorous testing and monitoring show that vaccines save millions of lives every year, reduce hospitalizations, and prevent life-long consequences from diseases like measles and polio.

If confirmed, Mr. Kennedy could weaken essential vaccine programs that provide access for uninsured and underinsured populations, reversing decades of progress in disease prevention. His rejection of vaccine science raises concerns about his ability to lead during public health emergencies, and his influence could limit life-saving vaccine innovation and national readiness for future crises. His leadership could fuel disinformation, erode confidence in proven interventions, and endanger public health.

The vast majority of Americans continue to immunize ourselves and our children, and we value the right to live, work, play, and learn in communities free from vaccine-preventable diseases. It’s time for the quiet majority to speak up. Grassroots vaccine advocacy is growing, led by parents, health care providers, community leaders, and lawmakers who champion vaccination. Together, we are growing a national pro-vaccine movement.

We urge the administration to reconsider this nomination. As our nation continues to recover from the human and economic costs of pandemic disease, and as we experience the return of measles, chicken pox, and whooping cough, HHS needs leadership rooted in science, evidence-based policy, and public health integrity. American lives are at stake.

— Allison Alvine, MD, director of the South Dakota Families for Vaccines, parent to 4 children, one who is immunocompromised, and Angie Wehrkamp, parent to 2 children, one who lost her life at the age of 2 1/2 to influenza