A prominent former health official has publicly disagreed with the current Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  The argument is over the significance of measles deaths.  The former official is upset that the current Health Secretary has downplayed the deaths of children who were not vaccinated against measles.  This disagreement comes at a time when measles cases in the U. S. have reached their highest levels since 2019.  This year alone, three deaths have been linked to measles, including two children in Texas who were not vaccinated.

The Health Secretary has been quoted as saying that the focus should be on the chronic disease epidemic, rather than measles deaths.  He has also compared the U. S. measles cases to Europe, where the numbers are higher.  However, the former health official argues that this comparison is not fair, as Europe includes countries with less robust public health systems.  He believes that even a single measles death in the U. S. is unacceptable.

The former official was the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.  This center is responsible for regulating vaccines and other medical products.  He was also involved in the effort to speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.  He has expressed concern about the current environment at the FDA, where some officials may feel unable to endorse vaccines publicly.

The Health Secretary has been criticized for his views on vaccines and autism.  He has claimed that vaccines cause autism, a theory that has been widely debunked.  The former health official has described this view as pseudoscience.  He has also expressed concern about the Health Secretary's plans to reopen research into this theory.  The former official has also criticized the Health Secretary's appointment of Dr. Mark Geier and his son, David Geier, to revisit a past study on vaccines and autism.  The Geiers have a history of promoting the idea that vaccines cause autism.

The former official has praised the remaining staff at the FDA, describing them as heroes in public health.  He has also expressed concern about the delay in the approval of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine.  He believes that the Health Secretary's views on vaccines could signal a change in the FDA's approach to vaccine approval.  He has also criticized the Health Secretary's focus on environmental toxins as the cause of autism, describing it as a disservice to science.

Measles Deaths: A Controversial Viewpoint

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