The Accelerating Decline of U.S. Public Health Policy

It’s hard to believe how quickly a science-driven approach to protecting health has been replaced by ideology and quackery.  Lack of expertise is now seen as a plus in making decisions, and the Administration is actively seeking to suppress information about problems that it would rather not address.

I posted a month ago about the current evidence-free approach to health policy,  Things have only gotten worse since then.  It’s been one bad thing after another.

ITEM.  RFK Jr. announced the picks for a new government autism panel, which included activists who have linked autism to vaccines despite contrary scientific evidence.   This is like stuffing an astronomy panel with UFO enthusiasts, except that making mistakes about astronomy doesn’t kill people.

ITEM. Kennedy also made the unfounded claim that the Keto diet can cure schizophrenia, based on some suggestive studies involving small samples and short durations. Suggestive studies are just that: They merely suggest that there’s something that might be worth further investigation. Kennedy’s mistake is like interpreting “I heard about an interesting job opening” to mean “I’ve started a new job.”

ITEM. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)  ordered the Centers for Disease Control to claw back $602 million in research grants that OMB considered too “woke,” on subjects such as racial disparities in COVID and same sex domestic violence. Notably, the decision was made by political appointees in blissful ignorance of the scientific merits of the research.

ITEM. Kennedy’s Committee on Immunization Practice announced that it would consider only side effects of vaccines but not their public health benefits (efficacy).  This fits with other recent moves by the Trump Administration, like downplaying the benefits of controlling air pollution by refusing to quantify the harm.  Committee members continue to press arguments that have been long disproved, but their minds are made up. As one said, ““I’m not deaf to the calls that we need to get the Covid vaccine mRNA products off the market.  All I  can say is, stay tuned and wait for the upcoming … meeting. If the F.D.A. won’t act, there are other entities that will.”

ITEM.  FDA refused to even consider an application for an mRNA flu vaccine, offering only a thin rationale for such a highly unusual move.

All of this in only a month. There are thirty-four months left in Trump’s presidency, so you can only imagine how dangerous the situation will be by the time he leaves office.