KIrk Milhoan
In December, Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist, was appointed chair of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). In this week’s ‘Why Should I Trust You’ podcast, he showed why. Milhoan suggested that the public reconsider the use of polio vaccines. His thinking? Kirk argued that individual freedoms should serve as the ‘North Star’ for the panel. And that parents are the best people to make vaccine decisions for their children. In his words:
“[Patients] should be making the decisions on what the risks are of disease, what the risks are of vaccines, which is different for each person, what the family history is, and then make a decision from there.
Really? Has he thought it through? A. What the hell do most people know about medicine? B. Would a kid with polio celebrate their parent’s freedom not to vaccinate them against polio? Milhoan was equally dismissive of the measles vaccine.
‘Freedom’ was not the only drum Kirk beat. He also took on the established science on vaccines as a whole. And, in a moment of honesty rare in this administration, admitted that policy goals, not new research, were the driving force behind changing recommendations in recent months.
Faced with obvious questions about the potential for a polio epidemic in the absence of vaccines, Milhoan offered sophistry. To wit:
“I think also, as you look at polio, we need to not be afraid to consider that we are in a different time now than we were then. Our sanitation is different, our risk of disease is different, and so those all play into the evaluation of whether this is worthwhile of taking a risk for a vaccine or not.”
Nice try. However, we have seen what happens when people stop getting the measles vaccine. Measles recurs. Despite the happy talk of people like Milhoan.
MAGA medicine
RFK Jr. made his bones as an anti-vaxxer. His medical illiteracy was so profound that Trump thought him the ideal man to head the nation’s leading health agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy downplayed his previous pronouncements and promised to follow the science.
Then, after he was installed, he ignored his promise. Fired medical professionals, whom he smeared as being too close to Big Pharma. And installed fellow travellers who were eager to ignore America’s major medical associations and instead let their superstitions guide their decisions.
Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD, FACC, FAAP, is one of Kennedy’s men. On the surface, Kirk would seem a responsible citizen. That many letters points to an extensive education and esteemed professional recognition. Milhoan does not appear to be a backstreet quack selling snake oil.
Yet, with his latest pronouncements on the role of the measles and polio vaccine, a thoughtful critic may wonder if he has lost his marbles.
The Independent Medical Alliance
There is more to his background. Milhoan is a member in good standing of the Independent Medical Alliance. This organization is rooted in antipathy to the COVID vaccine and embraces off-label uses of veterinary drugs. Its Wikipedia entry starts:
The Independent Medical Alliance (formerly Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance [FLCCC]) is a group of physicians and former journalists, formed in April 2020, that has advocated for various unapproved, dubious, and ineffective treatments for COVID-19 (e.g. hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and other miscellaneous combinations of drugs and vitamins).[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The group was led from the start by Paul E. Marik and Pierre Kory.[3] Initially their website said nothing against the vaccine, but promoted ivermectin until the vaccines were made available.[7] Both would later join conservative or right-wing groups promoting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
In August 2024 both men had their medical board certifications revoked.[8] On January 16, 2025, the organization changed its name to the Independent Medical Alliance.[9]
Where does all this come from
Vaccine hesitancy has long been a thing. It predates the hysteria over the MMR vaccine causing autism and the COVID vaccine being used to ID/tracker-chip people, when it wasn’t altering their DNA. This is hardly a surprise. There will always be a slice of humanity who assume that when the government recommends something, it is not in the citizens’ best interest. Instead, these conspiracy theorists see corporate profit and Big Brother as the motivation for vaccine mandates.
Or they are people who do not see that advocating unfettered freedom for one person puts others in harm’s way. When your actions potentially hurt others, then the people’s government has an obligation to mandate behavior and restrict choice. It’s why school zones have speed limits.
