NIH director, after Trump nominates RFK Jr. for HHS secretary, says discouraging vaccinations is 'disturbing'

Discouraging Americans from being vaccinated is "very disturbing" and would effect successful "more terrible unwellness and decease successful children," a apical U.S. wellness authoritative told lawmakers Tuesday pursuing President-elect Trump’s information of Robert F. Kennedy to pb the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

National Institutes of Health Director Monica Bertagnolli made the comments aft Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., told her that she’s acrophobic "there's been some speech by immoderate who mightiness person enactment positions successful adjacent medication of discouraging vaccination. 

"Could you archer maine what would beryllium the downside if our children specifically were not vaccinated?" Frankel asked Bertagnolli. 

"If you spell backmost 100 years ago, the starring origin of decease – and it was melodramatic – was infectious disease. And wherefore did that change? Vaccination, that is the azygous reason," Bertagnolli told the House Appropriations Committee. 

DEM REP. ROBERT GARCIA SAYS RFK. JR. NOMINATION FOR HEALTH SECRETARY IS ‘F------ INSANE,’ WILL ‘COST LIVES’ 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Monica Bertagnolli (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/Jim Vondruska/Bloomberg)

"And it’s been adjacent successful my career, my beingness that I person besides seen individuals who unluckily were successful the womb erstwhile their parent got rubella – unspeakable congenital malformations that happened. So it’s not conscionable the consequences adjacent for the idiosyncratic – it tin beryllium parent to kid and past yet crossed nine erstwhile we spot the dispersed of infectious disease," Bertagnolli continued. 

"What we volition spot instantly if each vaccination abruptly stops, we volition spot overmuch much terrible unwellness and decease successful children," she besides said. 

OPINION: RFK. JR. WANTS TO DISRUPT OUR POWERFUL HEALTH CARE COMPLEX AND IT IS TERRIFIED 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and erstwhile President Trump shingle hands during a run rally successful Glendale, Arizona, connected Aug. 23, 2024. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images))

Kennedy roseate to prominence arsenic a skeptic of vaccines, voicing concerns astir their impact. 

"Look astir the satellite due to the fact that determination are different places successful the satellite that person this, that bash not person wide vaccination of their populations, and look astatine the tragedies that we spot there. I deliberation it would beryllium precise disturbing," Bertagnolli added Tuesday. 

U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., has called the prime of RFK Jr. to pb HHS "f------ insane." 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. waves to the assemblage astatine a run rally for Trump successful August successful Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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"The RFK arsenic Health Secretary assignment is f------ insane," helium wrote connected X. "He’s a vaccine denier and a tin foil chapeau conspiracy theorist. He volition destruct our nationalist wellness infrastructure and our vaccine organisation systems. This is going to outgo lives." 

Kennedy aligned with Trump aft ending his ain autarkic tally for president, and Trump added the committedness "make America steadfast again" to his campaign.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.