Ralph Abraham, who was named #2 at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention on Nov. 23, 2025, promoted the anti-parasitic veterinary drug ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19 at the height of the pandemic. Here, a sign at a Missouri store warns that ivermectin is "for sale for animal use only."
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham speaks at a Dec. 20, 2023, press conference. Abraham was appointed second-in-command at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 23, 2025.
Ralph Abraham speaking at LAGOP Rally in Kenner, LA. Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Pence Rally Kenner 4730

Louisiana's top health official, who has opposed widespread vaccination for diseases including COVID-19 and the flu, and promoted discredited remedies for the coronavirus, has been named principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to multiple reports.

The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the appointment of Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, NBC News and the Washington Post reported.

Abraham, who recently ordered his health department to stop promoting mass vaccinations during an uptick in influenza cases, will work under Jim O'Neill, a top aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is the CDC's acting director.

Some public health experts condemned the appointment. "Dr. Abraham is unqualified," said Thomas Farley, who served as health commissioner in both New York City and Philadelphia. "It's dangerous."

The CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services and Abraham's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

'Pseudo-science' COVID cures

Abraham has been skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine. During the coronavirus pandemic, he promoted unproven treatments including the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, which is used to treat livestock for parasites.

"Anyone who promoted ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID while discouraging the vaccine is profoundly unqualified to lead the CDC," Farley told USA TODAY. "It's pseudo-science."

Abraham previously told The Shreveport Times, part of the USA Today Network, that he believes the COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous, does not recommend the shot and prefers natural immunity for patients, a stance mirroring Kennedy's view of the vaccine.

In a September interview during a clash over vaccines with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a fellow physician, Abraham said he does not believe in mass COVID-19 vaccination. "We all need to stay in our own lane, and that includes Sen. Cassidy," he said.

But if a patient insisted on it, Abraham said in the interview, he would write a prescription for the COVID-19 shot.

In a twist, earlier this year, after the Louisiana Department of Health reported multiple cases of measles in the state, Abrahamas said the best protection against the virus is the measles vaccine.

"It's good vaccine," Abraham said in a previous interview with The Shrievport Times. "I recommend it."

CDC faces backlash over vaccine science

The announcement comes on the heels of public health groups and physicians across the nation rebuking new wording on the CDC’s website suggesting vaccines may be linked to autism, countering decades of evidence proving vaccines are safe.

According to doctors, the change in wording on the federal agency's website distracts people from important public health issues and undermines efforts to increase vaccination rates ahead of flu, RSV and COVID-19 season, which often begins in November and runs through February.

In September, former CDC Director Susan Monarez told senators she was asked to compromise her integrity on vaccine science. She was fired on Aug. 25 after she said she refused to dismiss career officials who disagreed with Kennedy about the efficacy of vaccines. Several top CDC officials resigned after Monarez was fired.

Kennedy has a long record of spreading misinformation about vaccine safety and efficacy.

"Dr. Abraham is likely to further erode the credibility of the CDC," Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University said on social media, noting Abraham's advocacy for ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. "He's a loyalist, not a scientist."

Who is Ralph Abraham?

According to the Louisiana Department of Health website, Abraham was appointed as state surgeon general in 2024.

Prior to that he was a “practicing family medicine physician," the bio reads, and a three-term member of Congress from rural northeastern Louisiana.

Before entering his career in medicine, he graduated from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine and practiced as a veterinarian for 10 years before eventually seeking his MD degree, which he earned at the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport.

Farley noted that Abraham does not have training in public health or preventive medicine, which would normally be expected for a person holding the second-highest role at the CDC. Abraham has practiced family medicine for decades. He is not board certified in family medicine, a voluntary credential that goes beyond a basic medical license and shows high-level training in a particular field.

This story has been updated. Contributing: Greg Hilburn with the Shreveport Times and Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Outrage as 'dangerous' vaccine skeptic Ralph Abraham gets top CDC role

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect