Trump nominates vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr to head US Health Department

Donald Trump has picked vaccine skeptic and former independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr as his health secretary, as the president-elect continues to build his new administration, the BBC writes.

If his nomination is ratified by the Senate, he will lead a huge agency overseeing everything from food safety to medical research and welfare programs.

Trump says RFK Jr will “help make America healthy again.”

The executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA) said the organization will “absolutely oppose” Kennedy’s nomination.

As CNN writes, Kennedy previously claimed that vaccines are not safe and effective and expressed desire to fire 600 people at the National Institutes of Health.

According to the BBC, shares in vaccine makers have dropped in early trading after the president-elect nominated the vaccine skeptic.