Dr. Ralph Abraham, currently Louisiana's top health official, has been appointed as the principal deputy director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This role positions him as the second-highest-ranking official within the agency.
Dr. Abraham's Public Health Stance and Actions
Dr. Abraham has publicly expressed skepticism regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, having previously referred to them as "dangerous." During a September 2024 state legislative meeting, he stated support for investigating a potential link between vaccines and autism, a connection that has been widely refuted by scientific consensus.
As Louisiana's Surgeon General, a position he assumed in 2024 under Republican Governor Jeff Landry, Dr. Abraham implemented policies that restricted vaccine promotion:
- Initially, he banned the promotion of COVID-19, flu, and mpox vaccines by the state health department.
- In February, hours after Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was confirmed as Health Secretary, this ban was expanded to include all vaccine promotion and related events by the health department.
In the Louisiana legislature, Dr. Abraham supported bills to ban fluoride in public water systems, which ultimately failed. He also supported legislation to expand access to ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment, which passed, despite scientific consensus indicating its ineffectiveness against COVID-19.
Context of the Appointment
The principal deputy director position at the CDC had been vacant since Dr. Nirav Shah, who served under the Biden administration, stepped down in February. The CDC is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The CDC's current acting director is Jim O'Neill.
An official from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who was not authorized to speak publicly on personnel matters, confirmed Dr. Abraham's appointment.
Reactions to the Appointment
The appointment of Dr. Abraham has elicited several reactions:
- Dr. Nirav Shah, the former principal deputy director, called the appointment "atrocious." Shah commented that Dr. Abraham's medical degree could provide "scientific and medical cover for their anti-vaccine theories."
- Anne Schuchat, who served as CDC principal deputy director from 2015 to 2021, noted that most appointees for this role are typically long-term CDC employees with extensive experience in crisis management and public health emergency response. Schuchat described Abraham's appointment as "scary" and stated that "ideology should not outweigh the evidence" concerning vaccinations.
- Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, characterized the selection as an "irresponsible choice," suggesting that Dr. Abraham has "little trust in science."
Public Health Incident in Louisiana
In late 2024, Louisiana experienced a significant whooping cough outbreak, with cases rising to 387. This represented the state's largest outbreak of the disease in 35 years, during which two infants died. Infants are typically not eligible for their first pertussis vaccine until two months of age, though immunity can be acquired if the mother was vaccinated during pregnancy. Dr. Abraham's health department issued an official alert to physicians and a public press release three months after the infant deaths.
Start Date
HHS has not yet announced when Dr. Abraham will officially begin his new role.