Dr. Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’s surgeon general, will become the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the agency’s second‑highest post — according to an HHS official who spoke about a personnel matter.
A physician and former Republican congressman from Richland Parish, Abraham has been a prominent critic of COVID‑19 vaccines and a visible supporter of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reflecting some of Kennedy’s skeptical positions on vaccination. Abraham has described COVID vaccines as “dangerous” and in September 2024 said he would support revisiting the long‑discredited claim that vaccines cause autism.
Named Louisiana’s first surgeon general by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in 2024, Abraham quickly instituted limits on his state health department’s communication about immunization. He first barred promotion of COVID, flu and mpox vaccines, and in February extended that restriction to a ban on all vaccine promotion and department‑sponsored vaccine events. Those moves followed Kennedy’s confirmation as HHS secretary.
Public health experts warned the appointment could lend scientific credibility to anti‑vaccine positions. Dr. Nirav Shah, who served previously as principal deputy director of the CDC, called the pick “atrocious,” saying Abraham provides a “scientific gloss” for what Shah described as anti‑vaccine theories. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director at CDC from 2015 to 2021, called the decision “scary,” noting that most past appointees brought extensive CDC experience in crisis management and emergency response.
Critics also point to Abraham’s handling of a recent Louisiana pertussis (whooping cough) outbreak. The state experienced its worst such outbreak in 35 years, with 387 cases and two infant deaths early in the surge. Public health officials say infants depend on maternal vaccination for early protection and that timely 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, drawing criticism that the situation had been downplayed.
In state politics, Abraham supported legislation to ban fluoride in public water systems and backed measures to expand access to ivermectin for COVID‑19 treatment despite evidence that the drug is ineffective for that purpose. The fluoride proposal failed; the ivermectin measure passed. Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert, called the selection “irresponsible,” saying Abraham’s skepticism of mainstream science could further erode CDC credibility.
The CDC now operates under HHS leadership that includes Secretary Kennedy and acting CDC director Jim O’Neill, neither of whom are career scientists; some observers say Abraham’s medical degree may be used to bolster the department’s policy stance. Supporters of the administration have not publicly announced a start date for Abraham in the new role.