CDC vaccine expert quits after RFK Jr. cuts advisers
Dr. Fiona Havers, who led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's tracking of hospitalizations from COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, stepped down this week. Adobe stock/HealthDay
June 18 (UPI) -- A senior scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has resigned, warning that changes in leadership may weaken the country's vaccine program.
Dr. Fiona Havers, who led the CDC's tracking of hospitalizations from COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, stepped down this week.
"Unfortunately," she said in an email to colleagues, " I no longer have confidence that these data will be used objectively or evaluated with appropriate scientific rigor to make evidence-based vaccine policy decisions." The memo was obtained by The Washington Post.
Havers' departure comes just days after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with new appointees. The panel makes recommendations on use of vaccines in the United States.
At least three of the new members have spoken out against mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Two have served as witnesses in lawsuits against vaccine makers, and one served on the board of the nation's oldest anti-vaccine group, The Post reported.
Havers worked at the CDC for 13 years. She presented hospitalization data at advisory committee meetings. Her resignation is the latest in a string of exits from the agency.
Earlier this month, Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, a CDC vaccine adviser, also resigned. And before that, five senior leaders stepped down from their CDC roles, The Post reported.
In addition, Melinda Wharton, a top CDC official who managed advisory panel operations, was removed from her role last week.
In a commentary published June 16 in JAMA, the 17 former panel members said the recent cuts have "critically weakened" the U.S. vaccine program.
"We are deeply concerned that these destabilizing decisions, made without clear rationale, may roll back the achievements of U.S. immunization policy, impact people's access to lifesaving vaccines, and ultimately put U.S. families at risk of dangerous and preventable illnesses," they wrote.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said HHS is "committed to following the gold standard of scientific integrity" under Kennedy's leadership.
"Vaccine policy decisions will be based on objective data, transparent analysis and evidence -- not conflicts of interest or industry influence," Nixon said in a statement.
In her email to colleagues, Havers expressed pride in the work she and her team had done.
"I'm grateful to have been part of such important and effective work that has provided decision-makers with real-time, high-quality, rigorous scientific evidence that have been used to track disease severity over time, tailor vaccine messaging to groups at highest risk for severe disease and provide critical inputs for vaccine cost-effectiveness analyses," she wrote.
Just this April, Havers presented data showing that infants under 6 months old had the highest rates of COVID-related hospitalizations, The Post reported.
Her report also found that most hospitalized children under 2 years old had no underlying health conditions.
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Learn more about the role of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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