https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5703667-kirk-milhoan-cdc-polio-vaccine/

Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist recently appointed as chair of a highly influential federal vaccine committee, questioned the need for immunizing against illnesses like polio in a podcast interview released Thursday.

He argued that public health is not the “first order” of his group.

Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed Milhoan to be chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last month.

Appearing on the podcast “Why Should I Trust You?” — which explores the gap between scientific data and public trust — Milhoan was asked to discuss how he views the efficacy and risk of vaccines like those for polio and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).

“As you look at polio, we need to not be afraid to consider that we are in a different time now than we were then,” he said. “Our sanitation is different, our risk of disease is different and so that those all play into the evaluation of whether this is worthwhile of taking a risk for a vaccine or not.”

During the interview, Milhoan referred to school vaccine requirements as “authoritarian” but rejected the label of “anti-vaxxer.”

Brinda Adhikari, one of the podcast co-hosts, noted many people consider both the MMR and polio vaccines as safe, particularly because of their significant “proven” history in helping to lower the rates of these diseases. Milhoan pushed back on this characterization.

“I think that ‘proven’ might be a little bit harsh, a little bit stronger, for what it’s done because of the pre-vaccine decrease in incidence of disease, but I understand what you’re saying,” he said.