To the editor: Now that Donald Trump will be president and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be a strong influence on health policy in America, here is this doctor’s nightmare.
Government policy will discourage new vaccines and obstruct the administration of existing ones. Liability waivers for vaccine development will be ended. Government propaganda will convince Americans to fear vaccines.
With less vaccination, children will die of measles and other diseases. And the Trump administration will control the development and release of health data, so the public won’t be informed of these disastrous policies.
That’s how illiberal democracies such as Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, which Trump admires, operate.
Richard W. Merel, M.D., Hermosa Beach
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To the editor: It’s good to see Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature meeting to fortify and protect the state against the incoming Trump administration’s expected onslaught on a range of issues.
But I’m not seeing concern over our state’s public health infrastructure, especially if Kennedy plays a key role in the White House.
I’m thinking of vaccine availability, adequate supplies of personal protective equipment for health workers in the event of a demand surge such as another pandemic, hospital beds and emergency room staffing, food and restaurant inspectors, affordable drugs and other concerns. Let’s hope that’s part of California’s plan.
Steve Tarzynski, M.D., Santa Monica
