Thursday, 28 March, 2024
HomeWeekly RoundupOutrage over 'political' attempts by Trump appointees to change CDC reports

Outrage over 'political' attempts by Trump appointees to change CDC reports

Scientists and physicians are expressing frustration and outrage following reports that top politically appointed Trump administration officials have demanded the right to edit and change weekly US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientific reports on the coronavirus pandemic ahead of their public release.

The Hill reports that the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR) are developed by scientists at the department to inform medical officials and the general public about the spread of COVID-19 and who is most at risk.

The Hill quotes reports saying that the CDC has increasingly agreed to allow politically appointed officials to review mortality weekly reports and, in a few cases, alter the wording in the documents. And, The Hill reports, scientists and physicians are calling this “despicable” and “outrageous.”

William Schaffner, who is on the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report's editorial board, is quoted as saying that he was “aghast” and “appalled" by the reported attempts to meddle with the reports, which provide key updates to doctors and health care providers working during the pandemic.

“This is outright egregious. It’s despicable," Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, is quoted in reports as saying. “What we’re seeing is multiple actors, important people who are just laying down, who are complicit with the anti-science machinations of the Trump administration."

Others described the edits to a key, scientific report as "the fundamental undermining of trust," and "horrific." Sherri Bucher, a global health researcher, wrote on Twitter: “There are no words to articulate how horrific this is. Trust & credibility, shattered, overnight. MMWR has been, for a long time, one of the most reliable, steadfast, scientific resources; unquestioned veracity, impeccable reputation for quality of data/analysis. No longer.”

The Hill reports that when asked by about why HHS was demanding the changes, top Health and Human Services spokesperson Michael Caputo said that the department was appropriately reviewing the CDC’s reports. “Our intention is to make sure that evidence, science-based data drives policy through this pandemic – not ulterior deep state motives in the bowels of CDC," he is quoted in the report as saying.

 

[link url="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/516248-scientists-and-physicians-outraged-over-reports-trump-officials-meddled?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=95185376&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8PW_9nYCMBn2I9nXaUjnPYkA2cOpYG4SkUZstkc5l-rSBt5Gzk7MO-cIFpba-K8P-uyLBnUJUxKJ-Kg_PLP8IPicjYiA&utm_content=95185376&utm_source=hs_email"]Full report in The Hill[/link]

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