Thank you for this. What you’re documenting isn’t a policy debate. It’s the replacement of scientific judgment with ideology, and the consequences will be measurable in cancer, liver disease, and preventable childhood illness. The public needs to understand that ACIP is now being driven by people who have spent years attacking evidence rather than producing it.
Your breakdown of the new members makes something unmistakably clear. This isn’t dissent from qualified experts. It’s the elevation of individuals whose careers have been built on misreading data, spreading false claims, and advancing narratives that collapse under scrutiny. The perspective in NEJM from eleven former FDA commissioners underscored the same point. Dismantling the evidentiary foundation of vaccine policy is not reform. It is sabotage.
And on a personal note, I hope things ease up for you and your cats. Caring for sick pets is emotionally exhausting even when the outcomes are good. I’m glad your updates were reassuring.
Andrea - once again I am speechless at the absurdity of the situation where the idiom of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is becoming “if it ain’t broke let’s break it”! Beyond your expertly crafted scientific narrative is a simple premise that the whole point of vaccines is to prevent bad things happening not just at an individual but at a population level. Keep up the excellent work and best wishes for the cats.
All the public health people I follow are aghast, horrified and exhausted by the insanity of this year. Whenever I hear RFK, Jr state that he needs to examine the data, my brain explodes. Examine the data based on WHAT training? The ability to snack on a bear carcass or tie a whale head to his vehicle? Science influencers have already done untold damage, and now he’s ridden into town to make it incalculably worse.
I appreciate your perseverance! I am also grateful that your cats are doing better. I know our wild and crazy bunch has helped keep us sane this year. Animals are completely present-centered, and remind us to pause and take notice of opportunities for curiosity and delight. May your holiday be filled with the same.
Thank you for this. What you’re documenting isn’t a policy debate. It’s the replacement of scientific judgment with ideology, and the consequences will be measurable in cancer, liver disease, and preventable childhood illness. The public needs to understand that ACIP is now being driven by people who have spent years attacking evidence rather than producing it.
Your breakdown of the new members makes something unmistakably clear. This isn’t dissent from qualified experts. It’s the elevation of individuals whose careers have been built on misreading data, spreading false claims, and advancing narratives that collapse under scrutiny. The perspective in NEJM from eleven former FDA commissioners underscored the same point. Dismantling the evidentiary foundation of vaccine policy is not reform. It is sabotage.
And on a personal note, I hope things ease up for you and your cats. Caring for sick pets is emotionally exhausting even when the outcomes are good. I’m glad your updates were reassuring.
Andrea - once again I am speechless at the absurdity of the situation where the idiom of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is becoming “if it ain’t broke let’s break it”! Beyond your expertly crafted scientific narrative is a simple premise that the whole point of vaccines is to prevent bad things happening not just at an individual but at a population level. Keep up the excellent work and best wishes for the cats.
All the public health people I follow are aghast, horrified and exhausted by the insanity of this year. Whenever I hear RFK, Jr state that he needs to examine the data, my brain explodes. Examine the data based on WHAT training? The ability to snack on a bear carcass or tie a whale head to his vehicle? Science influencers have already done untold damage, and now he’s ridden into town to make it incalculably worse.
I appreciate your perseverance! I am also grateful that your cats are doing better. I know our wild and crazy bunch has helped keep us sane this year. Animals are completely present-centered, and remind us to pause and take notice of opportunities for curiosity and delight. May your holiday be filled with the same.