Dr. Erica Schwartz, President Donald Trump’s pick for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was confirmed Wednesday. This is the first time the agency has a permanent leader in a year.
Schwartz, a retired rear admiral for the Coast Guard, served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term, and amid the Covid-19 pandemic. She holds a medical degree from Brown University, a law degree from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University.
Trump praised Schwartz as “a STAR!” after nominating her for the post.
Unlike some of Trump’s other nominees, Schwartz had an easier path to confirmation due to her more conventional public health background and extensive government experience. By contrast, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been criticized by Democratic lawmakers as unfit for his role, particularly for his anti-vaccine stance.
Still, Schwartz did not go far enough for some lawmakers in condemning Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stances in her confirmation hearing.
When asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., if she would hypothetically obey Kennedy’s directives to stop promoting flu vaccines, Schwartz did not answer with a yes or no. Instead, she said, “Senator, I will always, always protect our children.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who also ultimately voted against Schwartz, asked her if she would “commit to removing information on the CDC website suggesting a link between vaccines and autism.”
Schwartz replied, “You have my commitment that I will look at that exact website. I have not seen that. I will speak with the secretary.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., initially expressed skepticism about Schwartz and her ability to “actually stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization.” Still, he voted to confirm her after the page of the CDC’s website that covers the links between vaccines and autism was slightly amended.
While the webpage still states that vaccines could be linked to autism, Schwartz has underscored her belief that vaccines are safe and effective.
Schwartz is inheriting the role at a challenging and unstable time for the federal agency. While the role to head the CDC remained unfilled, the U.S. saw outbreaks of measles and cyclosporiasis, an infection involving the cyclospora parasite, which is generally spread through human fecal matter. So far, two cyclosporiasis-connected deaths have been reported in the U.S.
Federal health agencies have linked cyclospora to iceberg lettuce and cautioned the public against eating it.
In October, Kennedy dismissed several people at the CDC, which affected more than a dozen divisions at the agency. However, some employees’ terminations were later reversed.
The post Trump’s pick for CDC director is confirmed appeared first on MS NOW.
