Dr. Kirk Milhoan, appointed under Trump, questions mandatory polio and measles vaccines — echoing RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance. Experts warn this rhetoric could spark dangerous disease outbreaks.
Blue Press Journal – In a move alarming public health experts, Dr. Kirk Milhoan — pediatric cardiologist and current chair of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices under the Trump-aligned panel — has openly questioned the necessity of mandatory polio and measles vaccinations. In interviews with The New York Times and the podcast Why Should I Trust You?, Milhoan argued these vaccines should be “optional,” claiming that “without consent it is medical battery.”
The remarks mirror long-standing anti-vaccine talking points championed by figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose presidential campaign has been fueled by conspiracy theories about vaccine safety, despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary. Kennedy has falsely linked vaccines to autism — claims repeatedly debunked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and numerous peer-reviewed studies (CDC, 2023; Taylor et al., BMJ, 2014).
Public Health at Risk
Polio and measles are not relics of the past. While improved sanitation has reduced some disease transmission, these viruses remain highly contagious and dangerous. The CDC warns that measles can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, and death, particularly in children. In 2025, the U.S. experienced the largest measles outbreak in nearly three decades, with 1,282 cases — primarily among unvaccinated individuals (CDC, 2020). Globally, measles killed over 207,500 people. (World Health Organization).
The current outbreak in South Carolina has already surpassed 700 reported cases, underscoring the dangers of declining vaccination rates. Suggesting that “real-world experience” — meaning preventable illness and death — is a valid way to assess vaccine necessity is a stunning abdication of public health responsibility.
Trump, RFK Jr., and the Politics of
Anti-Science
Donald Trump has a history of fueling vaccine skepticism. In 2016, he met with anti-vaccine activists, including RFK Jr., who claimed Trump offered him a role leading a “vaccine safety commission.” While that commission never materialized formally, the appointment of Milhoan to head ACIP reflects a continuation of that anti-science influence within vaccine policy circles.
Both Trump and RFK Jr. have leveraged distrust in medical institutions for political gain. This rhetoric has consequences: according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, vaccine misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to tens of thousands of preventable deaths among unvaccinated Americans in 2021 alone.
The Stakes
Making polio and measles vaccination optional is not a benign policy shift — it is an invitation for the return of diseases we have spent decades eradicating. The polio vaccine, introduced in 1955, has prevented an estimated 16 million cases of paralysis worldwide (WHO). Weakening these requirements risks reversing that progress.
Public health policy must be grounded in science, not political ideology or conspiracy theories. The statements from Milhoan — and the political environment fostered by Trump and RFK Jr. — threaten to erode herd immunity, putting children and vulnerable populations at unnecessary risk.
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