Vaccine sceptic appointed to head vaccine autism study, as 10 000 staff cut from US health agency

The head of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced on 27 March that he would cut 10 000 employees from department agencies as part of government restructuring by Elon Musk’s Department Government Efficiency. Another 10000 HHS employees left through early retirement and buyouts.1 President Donald Trump had previously told Kennedy to “go wild on health.”2

Other major changes are also under way in the agencies that sit under HHS. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will lose about 3500 employees and get a new head, Susan Monarez, current acting director. Trump’s original choice, David Weldon, was withdrawn when it became clear he didn’t have enough votes for approval.3 The CDC will also conduct a large study to investigate a possible link between vaccines …