CDC union calls on Trump officials to condemn vaccine misinformation
Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The union representing thousands of workers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling on the Trump administration to condemn vaccine disinformation after a gunman killed a police officer in a shooting targeting the CDC headquarters in Georgia.
The suspected gunman behind the Friday shooting was identified Saturday as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White. He was shot dead by police after opening fire at an Emory Point CVS, with police suspecting he targeted the nearby CDC headquarters over health problems he blamed on the COVID-19 vaccine.
The American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883, which represents more than 2,000 CDC workers, said in a statement Sunday that the attack "was not random and it compounds months of mistreatment, neglect and vilification that CDC staff have endured."
"The deliberate targeting of CDC through this violent act is deeply disturbing, completely unacceptable and an attack on every public servant," the union said.
"Early reports indicate the gunman was motivated by vaccine disinformation, which continues to pose a dangerous threat to public health and safety."
To its members, it said it is advocating for "a clear and unequivocal stance in condemning disinformation" by the CDC and the leadership of Health and Human Services, which is run by vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"This leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails," the union said. "This condemnation is necessary to help prevent violence against scientists that may be incited by such disinformation."
The shooting occurred just days after Kennedy announced that HHS was moving to terminate $500 million in contracts to develop vaccines using mRNA technology, which was used to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have saved more than 2 million lives worldwide.
The American Medical Association supports mRNA vaccine research.
Despite the support from the medical community, Kennedy claimed "the technology poses more risks than benefits."
"HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them, that's why we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA for respiratory viruses," he said.
The AMA, in response, urged the Trump administration to reverse course, and to continue "vital research to improve mRNA vaccines, not throw the baby out with the bathwater by effectively preventing research from moving forward."
The union said the shooting had CDC employees, including more than 90 children, trapped in buildings throughout the CDC campus late into Friday.
It said in its Sunday statement that staff should not be required to return to work until the facility is repaired. The CDC campus was reportedly damaged by bullet holes and shattered windows.
"Staff should not be required to work next to bullet holes," it said. "Forcing a return under these conditions risks re-traumatizing staff by exposing them to the reminders of the horrific shooting they endured."
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