CDC Names Ralph Abraham as Second-in-Command Despite Vaccine Controversy

Key Takeaways

• Dr. Ralph Abraham, who has questioned vaccine safety and stopped Louisiana’s mass vaccination efforts, is now the CDC’s principal deputy director

• Public health leaders say his past decisions raise concerns about emergency response

• Scientific evidence continues to show vaccines prevent severe illness and save lives, despite claims made by Abraham

MONDAY, Dec. 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A Louisiana physician who has questioned vaccine safety and halted his state’s vaccination campaigns in the past is now serving in one of the top roles at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr. Ralph Abraham, a former congressman and Louisiana’s surgeon general in 2024, discretely began his position as the CDC’s principal deputy director on Nov. 23, according to the agency’s internal employee directory.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services later confirmed the appointment.

Abraham has taken public views that differ significantly from long-standing CDC recommendations.

He has called COVID-19 vaccines “dangerous,” supported the use of unproven COVID treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, and has urged people to avoid Tylenol during pregnancy except when “absolutely necessary.”

He has also promoted removing aluminum-based ingredients from vaccines and questioned routine hepatitis B immunization at birth.

Before entering public office, Abraham practiced medicine and veterinary medicine for decades. He represented Louisiana in Congress from 2014 to 2020 and was appointed surgeon general of Louisiana last year.

While in that role, he ordered the state health department to stop mass vaccination campaigns and waited two months to alert the public about a whooping cough outbreak that caused two deaths, delaying a response that other health officials say should have happened immediately.

Former CDC principal deputy director Dr. Nirav Shah, who held the same role until early 2024, said he was stunned by the appointment.

"My jaw hit the ground," Shah told The New York Times.

"A large part of the principal deputy’s portfolio is emergency response," Shah said. "Delayed notifying of the public of at least two pertussis deaths is not just unacceptable, it’s shameful," he added.

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Despite his past statements, Abraham will be the highest-ranking medical doctor at the CDC, which is currently led by acting director Jim O’Neil, a former biotechnology executive.

Abraham has also criticized public health policies from the COVID-19 pandemic, calling them “tyrannical."

He has repeated false claims about vaccine ingredients and said he sees people injured by the vaccine "every day," despite extensive research showing COVID-19 vaccines reduce severe illness and death.

Studies have consistently shown that the COVID vaccines lowered hospitalization rates and prevented transmission early in the pandemic, before major virus mutations occurred.

Earlier this year, Abraham urged Louisiana Senator Dr. Bill Cassidy, a gastroenterologist who strongly supports childhood vaccines, to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.

The two men later fell out publicly over vaccines.

Last week, however, Cassidy said he hoped to work with Abraham.

"I am hopeful that the two of us as doctors can continue to engage in science-based conversations to protect children, including vaccinating children to prevent measles, whooping cough and hepatitis," Cassidy said.

More information

Learn more about the objectives of the CDC.

SOURCE: The New York Times, Nov. 25, 2025

What This Means For You

Abraham's new CDC position plays a major role in guiding vaccine policy and emergency response.