"Ralph Abraham, a top health official in Louisiana who has peddled disinformation about vaccines, has been quietly named to a prominent position within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Abraham's appointment was not formally announced, but his name appears on internal databases for the agency, which list him as the principal deputy director for the CDC - the agency's second-highest ranking position."
"As former head of Louisiana's Department of Health, and as the state's first surgeon general, Abraham became infamous when he banned state health agencies from recommending vaccines to the public. In 2024, he errantly described the COVID-19 vaccine as "dangerous." He also said that he would like to examine the supposed link between vaccines and autism, a notion that has been thoroughly debunked for decades."
"Instead of promoting vaccines, Abraham pushed for a "hands-off" approach to government recommendations. "Government should admit the limitations of its role in people's lives and pull back its tentacles from the practice of medicine," he said in February. However, that philosophy didn't stop Abraham from promoting ivermectin, a medication used to treat parasitic diseases, as a means to treat COVID-19 - a method that gained popularity among anti-vax groups at the time despite having no basis in medical science."
Ralph Abraham has been listed as the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on internal CDC databases, positioning him as the agency's second-highest official and likely de facto head until a permanent director is appointed. As Louisiana's former Department of Health head and first surgeon general, he banned state health agencies from recommending vaccines and described the COVID-19 vaccine as "dangerous" in 2024. He expressed interest in examining a supposed vaccines-autism link and advocated a "hands-off" government approach to medical recommendations. He promoted ivermectin for COVID-19 despite lack of scientific support.
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