by Last week a outbreak of measles claimed the life of a person in New Mexico. At the end of last month, a non -vaccinated child in Texas died in a separate outbreak of measles. The deaths come when the American public health programs and agencies are turned upside down by the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.A well-known vaccine skeptic, as the new secretary of health and human services.
It also comes to the five-year anniversary of the start of the Covid Pandemie. Dr. Mike Osterholm, one of the best health experts in the country, spoke The lawyer Recently about the birthday and his concerns about American public health.
During the amount of the Pandemie, thenPresident Joe Biden named Osterholm to his Covid Advisory Committee Because of his expertise in the field of pandemic readiness, research outbreak and public health practice. Osterholm is Regents Professor, McNight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches for almost 50 years.
Osterholm has been pronounced about the potential negative effects of Kennedy’s appointment on both national and global health.
“One of the immediate actions under the leadership of secretary Kennedy was the suspension of critical vaccine advice meetings,” said Osterholm. “The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is responsible for recommending VaccinProtocols, and a similar committee that advises the Food and Drug Administration on flu vaccines, both have their sessions.”
Osterholm expressed deep concern about these cancellations. “I see no reason why we should have a total break when sharing information,” he noticed. “Such disturbances can endanger the ability of agencies such as the CDC and the FDA to respond to emerging crises in public health.”
He also pointed to the CDCs delayed response to the outbreak of measles in Texasattributing the need to delete communication through the Department of Health and Human Services. “Effective public health is highly dependent on good communication; Without this, challenges are expressed more, as is apparent from the COVID-19 Pandemie, “he explained. “Effective communication improves the chance of successful tackling of emergency situations in public health and bringing it to a resolution.”
The importance of maintaining robust communication and vaccination programs is underlined by the outbreaks of measles. In Texas, that outbreak has resulted in more than 130 cases. Death in the state is the first American measles deadly in about a decade.
During a recent cabinet meeting, Kennedy tried the seriousness of the outbreak, suggesting that the incidents of measles are routine and an incorrect hospital recording protocols.
“What he said was not true,” said Osterholm. “He had some abnormalities … He also said that the children who were admitted to the hospital were placed in quarantine. Quarantine is something that we use to take in principle people who may be contagious and are able to convey and in a sense that they areolate that. That’s not true. These children are all admitted to the hospital because they are seriously ill. “
In the past week, Kennedy, who seemed to praise for the first time instead of vaccines, to Fox News to recommend the measles vaccine.
In addition, Osterholm characterized the approach to the administration to rule as led by a “wild -winding machete” instead of a “fine precision surgical aid”, suggesting that necessary changes must be carefully and strategically implemented. “Although it is essential to assess the productivity of the staff and make the necessary adjustments, such actions must be performed with precision, related to the use of a surgical instrument, rather than by broad and hasty measures, because some of our best doctors and researchers as well as subsidies can be part of that machine snit.”
He also criticized the abrupt withdrawal of support for numerous worldwide health programs aimed at combating diseases and promoting a healthy life for children. “I compare it to suddenly denying a patient a life -saving medicine without warning because these movements will have immediate and serious consequences due to the administration,” he said.
He predicted that these decisions can lead to a crisis, especially with expected large cuts on federal health agencies such as the CDC, FDAAnd National Institutes of Health.
Tackling potential cuts in financing for programs that focus on diseases such as AIDS And Malaria, Osterholm claimed that these diseases “know no limits, but they love chaos.” He explained that reduced attention and resources can improve the transfer of these diseases, which leads to a “double whammy” in which the elimination of international boundaries for transmission is exacerbated by an increased spread as a result of derived focus.
“The damage caused by such neglect can be immediately, but will have implications in the long term, making recovery challenging,” he noticed.
With regard to the problem of bird flu, Osterholm emphasized that it requires a long -term solution, in particular the development of reliable, sustainable and safe vaccines. He criticized the current minimum investment in vaccine research and development for both flu and coronaviruses. “It is a big mistake that will increase a considerable price in the future,” he said. “They are crucial steps in reducing the impact of future pandemies to have more effective vaccines available immediately and to ensure that the public willingness to receive them are crucial steps.”
The convergence of leadership that undermines the efficiency of vaccine, in combination with policy that disrupts both domestic and global health initiatives, offers a precarious future for public health, which sets up a perfect storm, he said.
“Everything I could define as a disrupter is what happens in terms of public health in this country,” he warned. “The evidence is in the pudding of what is going on now. When people used to ask me how worried I was about public health, I always said that I slept with one eye open, and lately I have the feeling that I have slept with three eyes open.”
