Dr. Tom Frieden

The Mysterious “Willy Wonka of Cheese” Wasn’t so Mysterious to Me Jim Leprino showed me that doing well by doing good is more than just a slogan

In public health, we often talk about the power of systems & structures. Jim Leprino built one—an organization that could compete at the highest level while making food more accessible and, in small but meaningful ways, healthier. He showed me that doing well by doing good isn't just a slogan.

The CDC’s mission is vital: to protect Americans from health threats, whatever their source or form. In NEJM, I share why dismantling lifesaving public health programs in the U.S. will have grave consequences. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

7-1-7 Alliance 7-1-7 Alliance - Together, we are accelerating progress toward global health security.

Learn more about how the 7-1-7 target can be used to help prevent epidemics: 717alliance.org

The 7-1-7 plan is supercharging pandemic response. The UK never signed up From Thailand to South Sudan, dozens of countries use 7-1-7 to boost outbreak response and expose unexpected bottlenecks delaying action

Together with partners, we created the 7-1-7 target four years ago to set clear performance standards for how quickly a country detects and contains health threats. Since then, the 7-1-7 Alliance has grown quickly. Read about how countries around the world use 7-1-7 to save lives.

More Misinformation And One Essential Truth In rejecting updated International Health Regulations, RFK Jr. chooses falsehoods over facts

In rejecting updated International Health Regulations (IHR), RFK Jr. chooses falsehoods over facts. The next pandemic is coming. We can face it with early warnings, international cooperation, and efficiency, or we can fly blind and hope for the best.

When It Comes to Vaccine Disinformation, Follow the Money Vaccines are among humanity’s greatest achievements. They have saved the lives of more than a million children in the United States since 1994 and more than 100 million worldwide.

I wrote about this alarming possibility recently – and the financial incentives that are driving it.

RFK Jr. Wants to Overhaul a Vital System That Supports Childhood Immunization The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program stabilizes the nation’s childhood immunization system while paying those harmed by rare side effects. If the program topples, it could threaten access to vaccin...

If this program is weakened, the courtroom doors swing wide open, threatening vaccine access across the United States.

I call BS on claims that cane sugar is healthier than corn syrup—it's all sugar! These are empty calories. Sugary drinks contribute more to America's increased calorie intake than any other single source. There’s no “healthier” sugar. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33029629/

When It Comes to Vaccine Disinformation, Follow the Money Vaccines are among humanity’s greatest achievements. They have saved the lives of more than a million children in the United States since 1994 and more than 100 million worldwide.

As I wrote last week, it’s crucial that we keep our eyes open to the actions being taken – and the lives that may be put at risk as a result of decisions based on ideology or financial gain, not science.

Vested Interests. Influence Muscle. At RFK Jr.’s HHS, It’s Not Pharma. It’s Wellness. - KFF Health News Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lambasted federal agencies he accused of being overly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. But he and other “Make America Healthy Again”...

Follow the money.

The US is having its worst year for measles in more than three decades Measles cases in the U.S. are at their highest in more than three decades. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has 1,288 cases since the beginning of the year.

It’s only July and measles cases in the U.S. are already higher than in any year since 1992. When public health programs are cut and vaccination rates decline, more children get sick and die. It doesn’t have to be this way.

When It Comes to Vaccine Disinformation, Follow the Money Vaccines are among humanity’s greatest achievements. They have saved the lives of more than a million children in the United States since 1994 and more than 100 million worldwide.

Vaccines have saved the lives of more than a million children in the U.S. since 1994. Despite this, Secretary Kennedy has chipped away at the system that ensures access to safe, effective vaccines.

We should keep our eyes open to the actions being taken—and what's really driving them.

HHS backtracks on pledge to disclose new vaccine advisers’ conflicts of interest RFK Jr. has pledged radical transparency, but his vaccine advisers' financial disclosures aren't public.

Secretary Kennedy promised “radical transparency” when he took office. Now, HHS has failed to make key disclosure documents for the new vaccine advisors public.

Transparency Misinterpreted: CDC Vaccine Policy and Conflicts of Interest | Think Global Health A former CDC director says the idea that the agency’s vaccine advisors profited from their recommendations is a fallacy

For decades, ACIP has been a model for transparent, evidence-based recommendations on vaccine policy. In @thinkglobalhealth.org, I push back on the false claims that Secretary Kennedy used to dismantle this important panel.

They may have decided this because their populations have a greater risk of serious illness, they have health care systems less able to deal with serious infections, or may simply have made the opposite decision – more short-term adverse reactions, better protection against pertussis.

This isn’t “not taking vaccine safety seriously”, it’s a risk/benefit decision that differs in different contexts. Many countries choose to continue the whole cell vaccine.

The United States replaced the whole-cell pertussis vaccine with an acellular version that causes fewer short-term reactions but loses effectiveness sooner and doesn’t prevent spread as effectively. This is one reason we have a resurgence of pertussis in the US.

Mr. Kennedy ignored a much bigger, methodologically sound study that demonstrated the lifesaving benefits of this vaccine.

Secretary Kennedy cited a fundamentally flawed study to make his point. For a casual viewer, this may have sounded convincing. Cherry-picking small, flawed studies and ignoring rigorous, large research is a classic tactic to cast doubt where no significant doubt exists.

Secretary Kennedy made several claims yesterday in his statement to Gavi, including about the DTPw (diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis) vaccine. Accusing them of not taking vaccine safety seriously is misinformation, plain and simple.

Cuts to Health Programs Could Result in Millions of Deaths – And Make Americans Less Safe The best way to think about a budget is as a set of values: we spend our money on what matters to us. Sadly, the latest budget proposal before Congress is a stark reminder of this, and of the human co...

The best way to think about a budget is as a set of values: we spend our money on what matters to us.

Sadly, the latest budget proposal before Congress would dramatically slash crucial health programs—putting Americans and people around the world at greater risk of deadly diseases.

Sickening because the U.S. is turning its back on women and children at risk of death and disability. And sickening because it reflects the invasion of anti-vaccination falsehoods into life-and-death programs.

Secretary Kennedy's statement to Gavi, the vaccine alliance, is literally sickening. Sickening because millions of children’s lives are in the balance because of Mr. Kennedy’s fringe beliefs and misinformation on vaccines.

Conflicts of Interest Disclosures of ACIP Members Previous disclosures from ACIP meetings since 2000.

www.cdc.gov/acip/disclos...

Secretary Kennedy replaced CDC’s vaccine advisors based on false claims of conflicts of interest, and yet one of his new ACIP appointees reported more conflicts than all the 17 fired members combined. Striking.

Getting enough sleep is one of the 6 keys to a long, healthy life I outline, based on rigorous public health principles, in my forthcoming book.

Matthew Walker: Promoting Our Sleep Health Our "superpower" and a pivotal modulator of healthy aging

“Statistically, I think you are more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than you are to have the DEC2 gene.” (That’s the gene that may allow some people to do fine with 5 hours of sleep.) Fascinating conversation on the science of sleep between @erictopol.bsky.social & Matthew Walker.

Maintaining Hope: States and Cities Can Lead the Way on Health Science and public health face unprecedented headwinds, with a federal government that has undermined many principles and programs that have protected health for decades. From wholesale cuts to CDC ch...

Science and public health face unprecedented headwinds. In the face of these challenges, it’s easy to become discouraged. But there are still opportunities to drive progress—especially at the state and local level.

Former CDC Director: RFK Jr. is Wrong about Vaccines “If Kennedy truly wants to restore trust, he should let scientists do science.”

The actions taken last week don’t restore trust; they destroy a carefully built, globally respected process that has provided essential guidance for doctors and patients.