Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’s surgeon general, is the CDC’s next deputy director.
The Washington Post, which broke the development, noted it is unclear if Abraham has begun his tenure or when he will begin at the agency.
In his surgeon general role, Abraham drew criticism earlier this year when he sent out a memo saying that the state will “no longer promote mass vaccination.”
“It is understood that the products pushed will benefit some and cause harm to others, but public health pushes them anyway with a one-size-fits-all, collectivist mentality whose main objective is maximal compliance,” Abraham wrote in a website post in February. “We should reject this utilitarian approach and restore medical decision-making to its proper place: between doctors and patients.”
In an interview with the Shreveport Times in September, Abraham said he doesn’t recommend COVID shots for his patients, adding, “I prefer natural immunity.”
A former member of the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2021, Abraham also backed a proposed law that ultimately failed that would make it more difficult for Louisiana cities to add fluoride to water.
The CDC is currently being run by acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill, who also serves as HHS deputy secretary and is a close ally of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A healthcare investor with no formal medical background, O’Neill assumed the CDC position in late August after prior CDC Director Susan Monarez was terminated amid disagreements with RFK Jr.
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