Richard Besser criticizes Trump’s health secretary pick, and says falsely linking vaccines to autism is a ‘cruel thing to do’

Summary

Former CDC acting director Richard Besser criticized RFK Jr.‘s nomination as HHS secretary, calling his false claims linking vaccines to autism “cruel” and “extremely dangerous.”

Besser emphasized the importance of vaccines for individual and community health and warned against misinformation.

Deborah Birx, former White House coronavirus coordinator, stressed the need for a strong management team to navigate HHS’s complexity and reaffirmed the lack of scientific evidence connecting vaccines to autism.

RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance has drawn widespread condemnation from health experts, labeling him a threat to public health.