Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emerita of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a founding member of the advocacy group Defend Public Health.

Jacobs discussed the Trump administration's undermining of public health through the actions of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. She detailed the Trump administration's four main lines of attack on public health, which she said are "not confined to Mr. Kennedy"; they include the spreading scientific misinformation, casting doubt on expertise and the scientific process itself, executing mass firings across public health agencies, and undermining the U.S. vaccination system. Jacobs emphasized the importance of herd immunity and the "massive economic consequences to infectious disease outbreaks that could be prevented by vaccines."

She also talked about the recent congressional testimony of former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, whom Kennedy fired last month. "I believe her 100 percent and I do not believe what Mr. Kennedy had to say about it," Jacobs told WCPT.  

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).   

And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn.

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