Several senior leaders at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have resigned just hours after the agency’s head was ousted from her role.<\/p>\n
Susan Monarez’s departure as director comes less than a month after she was confirmed by the Senate. It is unclear why she was removed from the job. <\/p>\n
Three other officials, including the CDC’s chief medical officer, have now resigned, according to letters obtained by the BBC’s US partner CBS News.<\/p>\n
The exodus comes as health experts voice concern over the agency’s approach to immunisations under the leadership of US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic.<\/p>\n
Dr Monarez cancelled an agency-wide meeting on Monday because she had been summoned to Washington DC, CDC officials said.<\/p>\n
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a post on X that Kennedy “has full confidence” in the CDC team, “who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.” <\/p>\n
The department confirmed Dr Monarez’s departure, thanking her “for her dedicated service to the American people”.<\/p>\n
In a statement shortly after, her lawyer Mark Zaid said his client had “refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts”.<\/p>\n
“She chose protecting the public over serving an agenda,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Zaid also said Dr Monarez had not resigned or been informed of her dismissal.<\/p>\n
A long-time federal government scientist, Dr Monarez was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the CDC and was confirmed in a Senate vote along party lines in July.<\/p>\n
Her nomination followed Trump withdrawing his first pick, former Republican Congressman Dave Weldon<\/a>, who had come under fire for his views on vaccines and autism. <\/p>\n Shortly after Dr Monarez’s departure was announced, at least three senior CDC leaders resigned from the agency.<\/p>\n Daniel Jernigan, who led the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, quit citing “the current context in the Department”.<\/p>\n CDC’s Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry and the head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Deskalakis, also resigned.<\/p>\n There are also reports, including by NBC News, that Dr Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology, has also resigned.<\/p>\n In a letter, Dr Houry warned about the “rise of misinformation” about vaccines. She also argued planned cuts to the agency’s budget will hurt the CDC.<\/p>\n Dr Deskalakis said he was no longer able to serve “because of the ongoing weaponising of public health”.<\/p>\n Earlier on Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new Covid vaccines while limiting who could receive them.<\/p>\n The vaccines will be available for all seniors, but younger adults and children without underlying health conditions will be excluded.<\/p>\n “The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded,” Robert F Kennedy Jr wrote on X.<\/p>\n Susan Monarez was the first CDC director in 50 years to not hold a medical degree. Her background is in infectious disease research. <\/p>\n In her month as the CDC leader, she helped comfort agency employees after the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta was attacked by a gunman who believed he had been harmed by Covid vaccines. <\/a><\/p>\n The attack, in which hundreds of bullets struck the building, killed one police officer. <\/p>\n Earlier this month, current and former employees of the agency wrote an open letter accusing Kennedy of fuelling violence towards healthcare workers with his anti-vaccine rhetoric. <\/a><\/p>\n