US Health Staffers Urge Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Stop Spreading Misinformation Following Shooting at CDC, Risking American Lives

Over 750 current and former employees of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) addressed a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy on Wednesday, urging him to cease disseminating inaccurate health information following a shooting incident at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters earlier this month.

The letter, which was also sent to members of Congress, highlighted that the August 8th attack on CDC’s Atlanta headquarters was not a random act. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported that the shooter held strong reservations towards Covid-19 vaccines and aimed to express his distrust publicly.

The shooting left multiple buildings at the nation’s foremost public health agency marred with bullet holes, resulting in the death of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose. The employees emphasized their intention to honor Officer Rose.

The staffers asserted that Kennedy, who previously led an anti-vaccine advocacy group and was later appointed as HHS secretary by former President Donald Trump, is complicit in undermining America’s public health infrastructure and endangering national health through the continuous spread of misleading health information.

They cited previous remarks from Kennedy labeling the CDC a “cesspool of corruption” and the mass termination of thousands of employees by HHS in a hasty manner, leading to gaps in crucial areas such as infectious disease detection, worker safety, and chronic disease prevention. They also noted that many employees focusing on injury and violence prevention have been dismissed, impeding the agency’s emergency response capabilities.

The letter specifically addressed Kennedy’s claims concerning vaccines, including mRNA shots and measles vaccines, stating that he is undermining public health outbreak response. The staffers also criticized his dismissal of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an influential panel of outside vaccine advisors to the CDC, and his previous false claims linking vaccines to autism.

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kennedy, in a post on social media on August 9th, stated that his team is providing support to CDC staff both on-site and across the agency, acknowledging the dedication of public health workers despite moments of grief and uncertainty.

Kennedy visited CDC headquarters two days later, but his response was criticized by public health leaders such as former US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who described it as “delayed and tepid.”

In the letter, HHS employees requested Kennedy to halt and publicly renounce the distribution of false and misleading claims about vaccines, infectious disease transmission, and America’s public health institutions; affirm the scientific integrity of the CDC; and ensure the safety of the HHS workforce.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, former principal deputy director of the CDC, stated in a statement, “If the very people who are meant to protect Americans are not safe, then no American is safe.” She added, “An attack on a US government agency should be a unifying moment. Instead, Secretary Kennedy continues to spread misinformation at the risk of American lives.”

NIH staffers who signed the letter also urged Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to refrain from his politicization of mRNA vaccine technology. NIH did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The administration recently announced its intention to dismantle funding for mRNA vaccine development, stating that the vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.”

Researchers have estimated that Covid-19 vaccines have saved over 2.5 million lives.