Dr. Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’s surgeon general, will become the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second‑highest position at the agency, according to an HHS official speaking about a personnel matter.
A physician and former Republican congressman from Richland Parish, Abraham has been an outspoken critic of COVID‑19 vaccines and a visible supporter of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sharing some of Kennedy’s skeptical views on vaccines. Abraham has called COVID vaccines “dangerous” and in September 2024 said he would support investigating the long‑discredited claim that vaccines cause autism.
Named Louisiana’s first surgeon general by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in 2024, Abraham quickly imposed restrictions on his state health department: first banning promotion of COVID, flu and mpox vaccines, then extending a ban in February on all vaccine promotion and department‑sponsored vaccine events. Those policies came shortly after Kennedy’s confirmation as HHS secretary.
Public health experts warn the appointment risks lending scientific cover to anti‑vaccine positions. Dr. Nirav Shah, who formerly served as principal deputy director of the CDC under the Biden administration, called the pick “atrocious,” saying Abraham provides a “scientific gloss” for what Shah described as anti‑vaccine theories. Anne Schuchat, who was principal deputy director at CDC from 2015 to 2021, described the move as “scary,” noting most past appointees have extensive CDC experience in crisis management and emergency response.
Critics cite Abraham’s recent record during a Louisiana whooping cough outbreak as a concern. The state saw its worst pertussis outbreak in 35 years, with 387 cases, and two infants died early in the surge. Infants rely on maternal vaccination for early protection, and public health leaders say prompt alerts to clinicians and the public are critical. Abraham’s health department issued an official alert and public warning three months after the infant deaths, prompting criticism that he downplayed a serious public‑health emergency.
In state politics, Abraham backed bills to ban fluoride in public water systems and to expand access to ivermectin for COVID despite evidence it is ineffective; the fluoride measure failed while the ivermectin bill passed. Global health law expert Lawrence Gostin called the selection “irresponsible,” saying Abraham’s distrust of mainstream science could further erode CDC credibility.
The CDC is under HHS leadership that includes Kennedy and acting CDC director Jim O’Neill, neither of whom are scientists; some observers say Abraham’s medical degree could be used to bolster the department’s policy stance. Supporters of the administration have not publicly detailed Abraham’s start date in the new role.
