Uncertainty as Trump nominates RFK Jr for top health job

Just days after anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr was nominated as President-elect Donald Trump’s health secretary, the first case of the mpox strain of most concern to scientists has been recorded in the U.S.

While mpox has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, U.S. public health officials have not seemed too concerned, as the virus spreads mainly by close contact through the skin and sexual intercourse.

Their response to mpox, and in particular the Clade 1b virus that has been reported in the U.S., has been criticised by some as too slow.

Formerly known as monkeypox, mpox may not be a health threat on the same scale as COVID-19 – but with RFK Jr in charge, what would the U.S.’s response to a major emerging health threat look like?

RFK Jr has espoused discredited theories about vaccines causing autism, wants to remove fluoride from water, and has also backed conspiracy theories about 5G mobile phone networks causing cancer.

His appointment ?to the U.S.’s top health job signals Trump’s continued love for populist measures in the health policy.

This was demonstrated by the White House’s response to the COVID pandemic, when Trump backed herd immunity measures, and promoted unapproved treatments such as hydroxychloroquine.

He also seemed to undermine advice from Anthony Fauci, who was then director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

In the short term, the nomination also caused uncertainty in markets -? with the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index falling sharply and sector investor sentiment appreciably cooling – particularly relative to the wider market.

According to a Reuters report following RFK’s appointment, vaccine makers were worst hit and were still declining the day after the announcement. COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna’s shares fell almost 7%, hitting their lowest level since April 2020.

One Jefferies analyst described the reaction as “overdone”, but it looks like RFK Jr will be much more aligned with Trump’s thinking on health.

Just what this means in terms of policy decisions, and how Trump and RFK Jr might react to an emerging health crisis, remains to be seen.