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The Big Story

Vaccine misinformation blamed for fatal CDC shooting

A prominent federal employee union and former health leaders are blaming the rise of vaccine information for fueling the fatal shooting at the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week.

© AP

Georgia law enforcement officials confirmed during a Tuesday press conference that 500 shots were fired and about 200 rounds struck six different CDC buildings. Though no employees were hurt, DeKalb County police officer David Rose was fatally shot.

The alleged shooter, Patrick White, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said they found documentation in his house expressing his discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations.

Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said the content of the documents was more about making the public aware of his distrust of the vaccine, though no direct threats were made.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union called out vaccine misinformation for putting agency staffers at risk. In a statement following the shooting, AFGE Local 2884 demanded a “clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation by CDC and HHS leadership.”

“Their leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails. This condemnation is necessary to help prevent violence against scientists that may be incited by such disinformation,” the organization said.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served during President Trump’s first term, echoed these sentiments. In an op-ed for Stat, Adams said the shooting was a reflection of threats to public health workers brought on by a climate of “misinformation, politicization, and inflammatory rhetoric.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Adams criticized for being slow to respond to the shooting, was not named by the AFGE, but has long spread vaccine misinformation.

During an interview with Scripps News this week, he defended his decision to end funding for mRNA shots and reiterated his concerns about coronavirus vaccine injuries.

When asked directly about a plan to quell misinformation and prevent something like the CDC shooting from happening again, Kennedy deflected any direct link.

“We don’t know enough about what the motive was of this individual, but people can ask questions without being penalized,” Kennedy said, before criticizing the federal government’s messaging about the coronavirus vaccine.

Kennedy previously criticized CDC during his unsuccessful presidential campaign, calling it a “cesspool of corruption” in a post on X, saying he would “force the public health agencies to come clean about Covid vaccines.”

During his Scripps interview, Kennedy sounded a different tone.

“They work in silence, saving us all and protecting our health. They should not be the targets of this kind of violence from anybody," Kennedy said.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech - every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Source: The Hill - News