CDC‘s New Vaccine Advisor Has History of Questioning Shot Safety
The Centers for Disease control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent appointment of Dr. Joseph Milhoan as a lead advisor to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is drawing scrutiny, as Milhoan has publicly expressed concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, especially regarding myocarditis.
CDC data confirms a heightened, though rare, risk of myocarditis – inflammation of the heart – in boys and young men aged 12 to 24 following COVID-19 vaccination. A June 2024 CDC safety data presentation revealed approximately 27 myocarditis cases per million doses administered to males 12-24 (roughly one case in 37,000 doses). The data indicates that 83 percent of identified cases in 2021 resolved within three months, with over 90 percent recovering within a year. No instances of cardiac transplant or death linked to COVID-19 vaccination were found in the monitoring data.
Though, health experts emphasize that the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 infection is substantially higher than from vaccination. A 2021 CDC study found individuals with COVID-19 infections had a 16-fold increased risk of myocarditis compared to those without the infection – 150 cases per 100,000 infected patients versus nine cases per 100,000 unvaccinated individuals. The study also highlighted young males as being most vulnerable.
Milhoan, along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other allies, has repeatedly amplified concerns about vaccine-related myocarditis.In 2022, Milhoan and fellow ACIP member Robert Malone were featured in a viral social media post falsely claiming that 50 percent of Big Ten athletes had myocarditis linked to COVID-19 vaccines. This claim originated from a misinterpretation of a JAMA Cardiology study examining subclinical myocarditis in big Ten athletes after COVID-19 infection. Researchers confirmed to AFP Fact Check that the athletes in the study were unvaccinated, and the actual rate of subclinical myocarditis was 2.3 percent, not 50 percent.
Studies to date have found no link between COVID-19 vaccination and sudden cardiac arrest or deaths in young males. Milhoan’s appointment raises questions about the potential influence of his previously expressed views on future ACIP recommendations.
