Texas public health officials say they鈥檙e used to setting the record straight about vaccinations and other scientifically sound treatments 鈥� but some are bracing for even more challenges under President-elect Donald Trump's picks for top cabinet posts.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, has raised alarms for policy experts across the country. More recently, Trump announced Dr. Mehmet Oz as his head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Terri Burke, who leads The Immunization Partnership, said under Kennedy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration could lose funding; health and immunization guidance for school districts could weaken; and misinformation 鈥� already widespread after the pandemic 鈥� could worsen.
鈥淎ll of this could have a chilling effect on innovation and development,鈥� she said during a Texas Vaccine Policy Symposium last month. 鈥淲ill vaccine manufacturers want to produce vaccines if the market is smaller? Will academic institutions approach vaccine research and development in a challenging climate?鈥�
Much remains unclear about how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 plans for the Health and Human Services secretary post will play out. Kennedy, who has that vaccines cause autism and other false information, has teased a plan called 鈥淢ake America Healthy Again.鈥� The plan鈥檚 central goal is to eliminate chronic disease.
He previously told federal health authorities under his leadership would not 鈥渢ake vaccines away from anybody.鈥� He also expressed doubt in existing vaccine safety research.
While Kennedy cannot ban vaccines, he can change the incentives for school districts to require vaccinations, according to Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president for the health policy nonprofit KFF. Kennedy will also oversee the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issues recommendations to local governments on which vaccines to mandate for school-aged children.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just recommendations, so the states still have to choose to follow those or use them in different ways,鈥� Kates said. 鈥淏ut it matters what the public health agencies say. It matters if they come out with a recommendation or not.鈥�
State exemptions, restrictions
Terri Burke, who heads The Immunization Partnership, said Kennedy鈥檚 鈥渃onspiracy-tinged notions鈥� are not new to the state.
鈥淭he future of the nation runs through Texas,鈥� she said.
In addition to bans on COVID-19 vaccine mandates, state laws and provisions also prevent state health department-funded agencies
That hesitancy has trickled from the COVID-19 vaccine to vaccinations that have existed for decades, according to Dr. Philip Huang, Dallas County Health and Human Services director.
Huang points to the percentage of K-12 students whose parents have sought exemptions based on 鈥渞easons of conscience鈥� such as religious beliefs. The percentage of students with conscientious exemptions has risen from 1.35% in 2013 to 3.63% in the 2023-2024 school year.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been a victim of our own success with (vaccines) .. When was the last time you saw a polio case?鈥� Huang said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because of vaccinations and people forget that. And it鈥檚 so successful that then, you know, people now start thinking, 鈥榃ell, do we still need these鈥� that they forget what it was like before.鈥�
Huang said he鈥檚 concerned about possible ramifications for federal funding of public health initiatives. He also worries about the impact of having a noted vaccine skeptic as the country鈥檚 authority on public health.
鈥淭he more that people who are supposed to be in trusted leadership positions, if they鈥檙e not promoting the science and the actual information that鈥檚 out there, then that just further erodes trust, spreads fear and can influence the policy decisions to support this,鈥� he said.
Dr. Lane Aiena, a Texas Academy of Family Physicians board member who practices in Huntsville, said while leaders who support vaccines help, health professionals are at the forefront of tackling misinformation in their community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to look at it as a chance to talk to the patients and not just tell them you should get this because you have to, but explain, 鈥楲ook, here鈥檚 why I think you should get this. Here鈥檚 why my family does this. Here鈥檚 why I think it would be good for you,鈥欌�� he said.
Aiena added that he tries not to focus on who is in the White House or in charge of Health and Human Services.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a big message that us physicians try to keep in mind because at the end of the day, the pendulum is going to swing back and forth on how people feel about vaccines,鈥� he said.
Got a tip? Email Kailey Broussard at kbroussard@kera.org.
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, . Thank you.
