Trump names RFK Jr to health post

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Robert F Kennedy Jr, an environmental activist who has spread misinformation on vaccines, to lead the top health agency in the United States.

Kennedy, 70, ran for president in this year's election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republican's administration.

The son and nephew of two titans of Democratic politics - Robert F Kennedy, and President John F Kennedy - has frequently talked about tackling what he calls the "chronic disease epidemic" of conditions including obesity, diabetes and autism, and reducing chemicals in food.

"The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country," Trump said in a post on social media.

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the massive Medicare and Medicaid Services programmes, which provide health coverage for the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled.

Medicaid and Medicare's 140 million enrolees mean HHS had a $US3.09 trillion ($NZ5.28 trillion) budget for fiscal year 2024, representing 22.8% of the US federal budget.

Drew Altman, president of health research firm KFF, described the move as historic and said what Kennedy, if confirmed, would ultimately do in the role remains to be seen, given he has not often discussed programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which account for much of the US health budget.

"Historically, secretaries have been people with real experience and standing in national healthcare and he certainly is not that, and has views from outside the mainstream, and is a renegade appointment," Altman said.

HEALTH PRIORITIES

Despite high levels of spending on healthcare and pharmaceuticals, Americans are unhealthier than their peers in wealthy countries around world, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund in 2023.

Kennedy has been a part of Trump's transition team and has been reviewing candidate resumes for the top jobs at US health agencies.

Kennedy also suggested he would gut the 18,000-employee Food and Drug Administration - which ensures the safety of food, drugs and medical devices - and replace hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health.

"FDA's war on public health is about to end," he wrote on X in late October, adding that includes its "aggressive suppression" of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, sunshine, and other items.

"If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags," he wrote.

In early November, he said he would recommend fluoride be removed from public water supplies, falsely claiming on X that the chemical is associated with bone fractures and cancer. The American Dental Association says the decades-old intervention reduces tooth decay by more than 25% in adults and children.

Kennedy criticised in September a New York Times opinion article about the weight loss drug Ozempic, saying, "Instead of fixing our food system and addressing the obesity crisis at its root, the author focuses on a drug that may palliate the symptom – and gladden the wallets of distant Big Pharma execs."

VACCINES

Kennedy has been criticised for making false medical claims, including that vaccines are linked to autism. He opposed state and federal restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic and was accused of spreading misinformation about the virus.

He disputes the anti-vaccine tag, saying he wants more rigorous testing of vaccines instead. However, he chaired the Children's Health Defense, a non-profit organisation that focuses on anti-vaccine messaging.

In an interview in March, when he was still running for president, Kennedy said Americans who wants a vaccine for themselves or their children would continue to have access to them if he were to be elected. But he said he doubted the efficacy of measles vaccines.

Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. It requires 95% vaccine coverage to prevent outbreaks among populations. However, US coverage rates have fallen below that level among young children, the CDC said this month.

Vaccines have saved over 154 million lives in the 20th century - the equivalent of six lives every minute of every year for the past 50 years, said Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota.

"Immunization has continued to be the single greatest contributor of any health intervention to ensuring that babies not only see their first birthdays, but they continue leading healthy lives into adulthood," he said.