WHO Warns CDC Turmoil amid US Vaccine Leadership Shakeup

A recent congressional hearing on vaccines focused on an unpublished 2020 study claiming no link between vaccines and autism, though the study remains unreviewed and unavailable to the public. Anti-vaccine rhetoric continues to spread internationally, notably by Aseem Malhotra, an advisor connected to the US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who made scientifically unfounded claims about COVID-19 vaccines at a UK conference, drawing widespread condemnation from experts. The World Health Organization's head emphasized the importance of maintaining the US CDC's public health excellence amid significant upheaval under Kennedy's leadership, including staff layoffs and resignations. President Donald Trump, who appointed Kennedy as HHS Secretary, has voiced support for some vaccines but faces criticism for installing a controversial figure with anti-vaccine views to lead a major federal health agency. Trump was also recently seen at the US Open, where political commentators criticized his health appointments, highlighting tensions within the Republican Party over vaccine policies and public health. These developments underscore ongoing debates about vaccine safety, public health leadership, and the politicization of science in the US and abroad.