A longtime vaccine policy expert has stepped down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expressing serious concerns about the current administration’s efforts led by RFK Jr. to lower vaccination standards. Dr. Fiona Havers, who spent 13 years at the CDC, spoke to the NY Times after resigning and warning that dismantling well-established systems could significantly increase deaths from preventable diseases.
Dr. Havers worked at the CDC for more than ten years, contributing to both U.S. and global health initiatives. She helped develop guidelines for responding to the Zika virus, assisted China in managing bird flu outbreaks, and provided guidance on safe burial practices during Liberia’s Ebola crisis. Most recently, as a senior vaccine policy advisor, she led a team that monitored critical data on Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalizations.
