Ralph Abraham, a top health official in Louisiana who has peddled disinformation about vaccines, has been quietly named to a prominent position within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Abraham’s appointment was not formally announced , but his name appears on internal databases for the agency, which list him as the principal deputy director for the CDC — the agency’s second-highest ranking position. Because the CDC does not yet have a permanent director, Abraham will likely serve as the de facto head of the agency until one is found.

As former head of Louisiana’s Department of Health, and as the state’s first surgeon general, Abraham became infamous when he banned state health agencies from recommending vaccines to the public . In 2024, he errantly described the

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