Julie Louise Gerberding MD MPH, former director of the Centers for Disease Control has been named the president of Merck Vaccines. While certainly no surprise, I am once again astounded at the audacity of the vaccine manufacturers and our government. Mrs. Gerberding will no doubt do quite well in her new position since she has had quite a bit of experience selling both vaccines and the notion that they are beneficial to society, in her previous position as one of the top government health officials in America. This is just another example of how closely related and intertwined our government is with industry.

Those in the natural health and “anti-vaccine” communities have witnessed this unseemly and disgusting relationship between government and industry for years. Consider the Homeland Security Act that sureptitiously had a rider slid into it at the last possible minute prior to the vote  that basically absolved Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals from any and all liability regarding the controversial mercury containing vaccine preservative, Thimerosal. Consider the SARS, Avian and Swine flu scares that have made both Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defence and Dick Cheney, former VP of the U.S. very rich men.These scares caused our government to purchace and push TamiFlu, a money making dream come true for these two former executives with the manufacturer of this drug.

We’ve witnessed the revolving door policy between government and business between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies as well as Monsanto. Bring someone from industry into the government regulating division that’s in need, get the vote or approval desired, then return said official to the private sector again, to reap the benefits. We’ve seen this again and again. This recent news is simply another example in a long line of government/industry collusion.

Dr. Gerberding is an infectious disease doctor that came to the CDC in 1998 as the Director of the Health Care Quality Promotion Division for the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). She became Director of the CDC in 2002 and resigned her position in January 2009 when the Obama administration took office.  “I am very excited to be joining Merck where I can help to expand access to vaccines around the world.”  This is a quote from the press release regarding Dr. Gerberding’s hiring.

“Fortunately, this year the flu season is not off to an early start and there is plenty of time for people to get their shots.” This was a statement made while at the CDC. “More than 180 million people should get (flu) vaccine and we have never gotten anywhere near close to that.” This also is a quote taken from her capacity as Director of the CDC but could have just as easily come from her new job. While taking this new position with Merck, just five days after the year long wait that government requires prior to taking a position like this after her government role, she is well within the parameters that are in place. My question is: Is this enough? Are the time restrictions from government to private industry currently in place, fair for both the individual and the citizens?

When parents like me have begged and pleaded the government to investigate the very real connection between vaccines and autism, Dr. Gerberding seemed to consistently turn a blind eye and deaf ear to our cause. Now to see that the very same woman that vehemently defended vaccines in her role as CDC director  now working with one of the companies that manufacture these vaccines is obviously not coincidental. How can we, as Americans, trust our government officials when they speak of the safety and efficacy of vaccines, all the while, setting themselves up to be executives for the companies that make them?

There is little doubt that a severe conflict of interest is present in this case as well as throughout the government and we should all be very concerned. Truth and transparency cannot be expected from these officials when there is so much to gain from the private sector after their government appointments are over. Would Dr. Gerberding be given such a chance at Merck, had she decided to properly investigate the vaccine/autism connection? I think not.