Is the "Make America Healthy Again" movement beginning to unravel?
Jonathan Howard, MD, and Wendy Orent examine a wave of recent public health stories that they argue reveal growing dysfunction within the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. From staffing shortages and agency leadership vacancies to vaccine policy changes and expanding infectious disease outbreaks, they discuss what they believe are the real-world consequences of current federal health leadership.
The conversation also explores new measles outbreaks, cyclospora foodborne illness, influenza vaccine effectiveness, updated COVID vaccine research, child labor debates, NIH funding, scientific independence, and the continuing influence of prominent pandemic-era commentators.
Whether you agree or disagree, this episode tackles some of the most consequential public health debates unfolding today.
In This Episode
- The latest reporting on RFK Jr.'s leadership at HHS
- Why MAHA and MAGA may be increasingly at odds
- The growing measles outbreaks across the United States
- Cyclospora infections and concerns over weakened food safety oversight
- New research on influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing pediatric deaths
- Updated COVID vaccine effectiveness data against hospitalization and severe illness
- The role of herd immunity and population immunity in today's COVID landscape
- The future of CDC leadership and federal public health agencies
- NIH funding, political oversight, and concerns about scientific independence
- Scott Atlas and calls to abolish the NIH
- Continued debate over COVID lockdowns and pandemic policy
- David Zweig, Jeffrey Tucker, Brownstone Institute, and education debates
- Child labor laws and their intersection with pandemic-era rhetoric
- Why physician-scientists continue debating the legacy of COVID policy
- Scientific misinformation and public trust
- Current public health threats beyond COVID
Key Topics Discussed
- RFK Jr.
- Department of Health and Human Services
- MAHA
- MAGA
- Measles resurgence
- Cyclospora outbreak
- Vaccine effectiveness
- Influenza vaccination
- COVID-19 boosters
- CDC leadership
- NIH funding
- Scientific research
- Public health policy
- Pandemic response
- School closures
- Medical misinformation
- Health policy
Memorable Discussion Points
"Public health leadership isn't judged by rhetoric—it's judged by outcomes."
"Preventable diseases don't care about political ideology."
"Science requires evidence, not personalities."
Resources Mentioned
- Recent New York Times reporting on HHS leadership
- JAMA studies on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness
- CIDRAP influenza vaccine research
- Scientific American reporting on NIH funding changes
- Washington Post reporting on federal science policy
About We Want Them Infected
We Want Them Infected examines public health, infectious disease, vaccine policy, misinformation, and science through evidence-based discussion featuring neurologist Dr. Jonathan Howard and science journalist Wendy Orent.
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