A Country in Fever Madness - Clarifying and Helping Under Life Threat

America is no longer the country of enlightenment, not the country of free science, not the country that once defeated polio and smallpox with vaccines. It is a country ruled by conspiracy theorists, by right-wing populists who extinguish every spark of reason with sectarian fanaticism. A country that builds a medieval state on the ruins of its former leadership in global health policy, where superstition, hate, and violence lead the regiment.

On August 8, 2025, shots penetrated the glass facades of the CDC in Atlanta. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the central US federal agency for disease control and prevention, headquartered in Atlanta. It monitors infectious diseases, develops vaccination strategies, operates high-security laboratories, and advises the government and the public on health security issues. Bullets shattered windows, a police officer died, and the staff experienced what it means to be the target of politicized agitation. The perpetrator, a man with years of hatred for vaccinations, saw himself as the executor of a truth that had been hammered into him through endless propaganda: that vaccines were poison, that the CDC was a "cesspool of corruption," that the government was poisoning America's children. He was not alone. He was the product of a system in which even the health minister, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shatters the foundations of modern medicine - and thereby puts his own staff in mortal danger.

Over 750 employees of the Department of Health have now raised their voices - under life threat, one has to realize that. - Journalists who report critically on this are also threatened, we ourselves not excluded. But to all the agitators and cowards: you cannot intimidate us. We will continue, just like the other courageous colleagues. - They warned of the systematic destruction of scientific integrity. They denounced Kennedy, who defames vaccinations, blocks mRNA technology, portrays the CDC staff as the enemy. They wrote in a letter to Congress that the attack was no accident but the logical consequence of a years-long campaign of lies, slander, and agitation. And they declared that now every single employee lives as a potential target - hunted by a radicalized minority that now forms the government itself.

America in the year 2025 resembles a nightmare. While measles cases soar to a 30-year high, while vaccination programs are cut and scientific committees are dissolved, President Donald Trump and his minister preach the fairy tale of "freedom." Freedom that in truth means the relapse into plague. Freedom that counts the dead but upholds the lie. The United States has turned from the beacon of enlightenment into a dark continent - a country where doctors must fear for their lives when they give a child an injection.

The language of the Middle Ages has returned. People again speak of "evil poisons," of "secret powers," of "corrupt elites." What in reality is taking place is an organized dismantling of rational thought, orchestrated by right-wing populists, flanked by evangelical sects, fueled by internet propaganda. America's health authorities are not the victims of an isolated act - they are the target of a coup against reason itself.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

Response of the employees to the attack of August 8

August 20, 2025

To: Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the members of the US Congress

We, the undersigned, write to you with great concern for the health and safety of America. The violent attack on the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on August 8 was no accident. The attacker fired hundreds of shots into the buildings while the CDC employees inside were carrying out their task of serving the American people. The attack occurred against the backdrop of growing mistrust of public institutions, fueled by politicized rhetoric, which has turned public health professionals from recognized experts into targets for defamation - and now also for violence.

The CDC is the leading public health authority in the defense of the United States against health threats at home and abroad. When such a federal agency is attacked, America's health is in danger. If the federal workforce is not safe, America is not safe. Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bears partial responsibility for weakening America's public health infrastructure and endangering the nation's health by repeatedly spreading false health information, including:

Spreading public mistrust by questioning the integrity and morality of the CDC workforce, for example by labeling the CDC as a "swamp of corruption."

Dismissing critical CDC employees in a "destroy first, then ask questions" manner, thereby wasting taxpayers' money and creating dangerous gaps, for example in the detection of infectious diseases, occupational safety, and chronic disease prevention. Many CDC employees who worked on issues such as injury prevention and violence prevention were dismissed. These cuts in staff have weakened the CDC's emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

Falsely claiming that mRNA vaccines "failed during the COVID-19 pandemic" and thereby canceling 500 million dollars in contracts for the development of mRNA vaccines - possibly the best line of defense against future respiratory viruses.

Publicly undermining the response to disease outbreaks by falsely claiming that the measles vaccine was "not safely tested" and that its protection "wears off very quickly," while at the same time promoting unsuitable prevention measures such as vitamin A supplements - even in a situation where the number of measles cases in the US has reached the highest level in more than 30 years.

Dissolving the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), even though he had assured during his Senate hearing not to change the process. Instead, the minister reconstituted it with inadequately qualified members whose recommendations are guided more by ideology than by science.

Deliberately omitting data to falsely claim that childhood vaccinations are the cause of autism - despite decades of research proving the opposite.

These dangerous and deceptive statements and actions have directly contributed to the harassment and violence faced by CDC employees. To fulfill his promise to protect the health of the American people, we therefore call on Minister Kennedy to implement the following measures by no later than September 2, 2025:

Stop spreading false health information: Immediately end the spread of false and misleading claims about vaccines, infectious diseases, and America's public health institutions, and publicly distance yourself from such statements.

Confirm the scientific integrity of the CDC: Acknowledge and affirm that the work of the CDC is based on scientific, impartial evidence aimed at improving the health of every single American.

Guarantee the safety of the employees of the Department of Health: Ensure that the employees of the department can carry out their tasks in an environment without immediate threats. This includes functioning emergency plans and warning systems for all employees as well as determined measures to stop online pillories and smear campaigns against federal employees, such as the widely known "DEI watchlists."

The deliberate destruction of trust in America's public health employees endangers human lives. We urge you to act in the best interest of the American people - your friends, your families, and your fellow citizens.

In conclusion, we want to honor Officer David Rose, who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life to protect others. We express our deepest gratitude for his service.

We sign this statement in our personal capacity, in our personal time, and without the use of government equipment, protected by our rights under the First Amendment. In addition to the signatories named, we include anonymous signatories and speak for countless others within the Department of Health who share our concerns but have not spoken out publicly out of fear of retaliation or for personal safety reasons.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

Public signatories

The signatories of the letter demand that Kennedy end the game. But hope is slim. Because the political climate resembles a fire, fueled by the ministers themselves, stoked by President Trump. What remains is a country that once gave remedies - and has now itself become a patient, trapped in fever dreams of conspiracy and delusion.

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