By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-25 22:22:00 | Updated at 2024-11-26 00:47:58
2 hours ago
A resurfaced clip shows Donald Trump's surgeon general pick Dr Janette Nesheiwat accusing the CDC of forcing unnecessary vaccines on children in a bid to potentially profiteer.
The Fox News medical contributor and assistant medical director of CityMD appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight in 2022 to discuss the announcement that the CDC advisory committee voted unanimously to add the Covid shot to the childhood immunization schedule.
Asked by Fox News host Tucker Carlson why the CDC would put this on their schedule, Ms Nesheiwat suggested that it did not make sense and it was 'maybe [to] profit.'
She continued: 'There's no good reason to have a vaccine that can't stop disease, can't stop transmission of disease.'
She said while vaccines for Polio and measles 'actually help prevent... paralysis [or] inflammation of your brain,' the Covid vaccine could likely only 'help reduce [the virus] to a sniffle.'
The physician called the unanimous decision 'irresponsible and illogical.'
Dr Nesheiwat also argued the vaccine is unnecessary, as nearly 86 percent of children have natural immunity, as shown in a 2022 analysis by the CDC.
She said: 'And a recent study out of the University of Indiana just found that that natural immunity in children is actually stronger and and lasts longer for protection than compared to adults.'
A resurfaced clip shows Trump's surgeon general pick Janette Nesheiwat accusing the CDC of forcing extra unnecessary vaccines on children in a bid to potentially profiteer
The physician added: 'So we need to keep that in mind, but yet they want to put this vaccine on the schedule. There's no data or evidence that shows it's of benefit... that it can prevent disease, that it can prevent death.
'We need to stop with the fear mongering. We're no longer in a Covid emergency [and] it's time to get back to the basics.
'We are putting these stringent restrictions and guidelines on the lowest risk population, our children. They've already suffered enough.'
Dr Nesheiwat said at the time, she had taken care of 'thousands of Covid patients... many of which were children' and she had not had to hospitalize any of them.
In the clip, father-of-four Mr Carlson also vented his outrage to the CDC's vote, telling viewers: 'That means children will be forced to get this vaccination which is unnecessary, scientifically unjustifiable and dangerous in order to get an education in this country.'
Despite Ms Nesheiwat and Mr Carlson's comments and wider backlash across the nation, the committee's vote went into effect.
Under the CDC's current recommendations, all children should be vaccinated with 'at least one dose of the current COVID-19' at six months old.
The decision added the vaccine to the schedule along with a number of other childhood vaccines including those to protect against chicken pox, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, or whopping cough.
If the Republican-controlled Senate approves her nomination as the surgeon general, Ms Nesheiwat will oversee 6,000 US Public Health Service Corps members
Each state has different guidelines when it comes to vaccination requirements for schools and exemption guidelines. While some states may require all vaccines for kindergarten admission, others may only require a handful at the time, postponing others to future grades.
When it comes to exemptions, they fall into two categories: medical and non-medical.
Only a handful of states do not allow both religious or philosophical exemptions, including New York, California, Connecticut, Maine, Mississippi and West Virginia.
Exemptions can be from one, multiple or all required childhood vaccines. While rules differ state by state, in most cases, parents must receive documentation from a medical doctor stating a child should be exempt from vaccinations.
The exemptions are then reviewed and granted by the child's school.
However, as the antivax movement has grown, so has the number of people applying for fake exemptions, with some even willing to pay off doctors to make up bogus medical excuses in order to get their child out of having to be vaccinated.
According to the CDC, 8.8 percent of children in the US have received the updated Covid vaccine.
Earlier this month Trump named Ms Nesheiwat as his nominee for surgeon general in his second administration.
'I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation's Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,' Trump said in a press release.
Touching on her personal journey, he added: 'A proud graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Dr. Nesheiwat’s journey began with humble roots as one of five children raised by a widowed immigrant mother who worked as a nurse.
'Inspired by her mother’s resilience and compassion, Dr. Nesheiwat pursued a life of service, transforming her deep-seated desire to help others into a distinguished medical career.
'Dr. Nesheiwat will play a pivotal role in MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!'
Ms Nesheiwat, 48, is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey.
She appears regularly on Fox News and has expressed frequent support for Trump, sharing photos of them together on her social media pages.
If the Republican-controlled Senate approves her nomination as the surgeon general, Ms Nesheiwat will oversee 6,000 US Public Health Service Corps members.
Surgeons general also have the power to issue advisories, warning of public health threats in the U.S.
Their role is to 'motivate and guide public health officials on urgent public problems.'
Those advisories can influence how the government, public and medical community respond to health crises in the country.
