MILWAUKEE– When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was created back in 1946, it’s goal was to help prevent the spread of dangerous illnesses such as malaria, influenza and polio.
But Milwaukee’s health commissioner, Dr. Michael Totoraitus says he’s afraid the organization is moving away from prevention of diseases and is more in-line with political policy.
“I think the national concern is how is this going to effect the availability of effective vaccines locally because obviously the CDC vaccine advisory board, they set the national standards for what are approved typically by insurers for vaccines and the set the recommendation for mandated vaccines at schools,” said Dr. Totoraitus.
While the CDC vaccine advisory panel has recommended on Thursday that children, pregnant women and adults get at least one flu vaccine a year, recommendations on COVID-19, Measles and Polio have yet to be reviewed or released.
“We know that these vaccines are safe and effective, that’s what ACIP is there to do and to say, ‘hey these are effective vaccines. These are the one’s that we’ll be using’ and to help us navigate the really complicated science around these things,” said Dr. Totoraitus. “So to see the panel upended and have folks that have varying degrees of reasoning to be on that body is concerning to say the least.”
When asked about medical experts further relying on the CDC vaccine panel’s recommendation and expertise moving forward, Dr. Totoraitus said the trust within the medical field could very well erode if dangerous decisions are made that remove vaccines or treatments that have been scientifically proven to work.
“I think it is entirely possible that we may come to a point in the near future where we say we don’t trust what the CDC is saying,” said Totoraitus.
Commissioner Totoraitus warns that if certain recommendations are made that remove effective vaccines from members of the public to use, there will be an increased rate of risk in the health of Americans nationwide.
