One of the nation’s foremost authorities on vaccines has just appointed a notorious vaccine skeptic as its second-in-command. Dr. Ralph Lee Abraham’s new role as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s deputy director comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

The second-highest ranking official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be Dr. Ralph Abraham, the head of Louisiana's health department.

In February, Abraham issued an internal memo to Louisiana's health department that it would no longer use media campaigns or health fairs to promote vaccination against preventable illnesses, the New ...