The union representing over 2,000 employees at the CDC is urging the Trump administration to denounce vaccine disinformation following a shooting at the agency’s headquarters in Georgia that resulted in the death of a police officer. The shooter, identified as Patrick Joseph White, targeted the CDC due to health issues he attributed to the COVID-19 vaccine. The American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883 stated that the violent act was a culmination of ongoing mistreatment and vilification of CDC staff.
The union emphasized the need for a strong condemnation of disinformation to help prevent violence against public health officials. This plea follows Health and Human Services leadership, under vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., proposing cuts to mRNA vaccine development, which the medical community, including the AMA, opposes. The union also reported that CDC workers, including children, were trapped on campus during the incident and insisted that staff should not have to return until repairs are made, calling the conditions unacceptable.
