(In US) CDC Director Fired After Vaccine Policy Clash With Kennedy

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is facing turmoil after its director, Susan Monarez, was fired for resisting vaccine policy changes pushed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Monarez reportedly opposed policies she said contradicted science and refused to dismiss her leadership team without cause. Her dismissal sparked immediate resignations from three senior officials and protests from CDC employees in Atlanta, who applauded them as they left the campus.

Former acting CDC director Richard Besser said Monarez told him she would never take actions that were illegal or went against scientific evidence, but that she was pressured to do both. The White House confirmed Monarez was removed for failing to align with President Trump’s health agenda. Jim O’Neill, deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, has been appointed interim CDC director.

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Since taking office, Kennedy has made sweeping changes to U.S. vaccine policy. He disbanded the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, replacing experts with anti-vaccine activists. The administration has also rolled back recommendations for COVID vaccines in pregnant women and narrowed support for vaccines in children with health conditions. These moves have fueled growing concerns about the politicization of public health.

The firing of Monarez and subsequent resignations underscored mounting divisions inside the CDC and highlighted how deeply vaccine policy has become politicized. The three departing officials  Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, Demetre Daskalakis, and Daniel Jernigan  were escorted from the Atlanta headquarters while staff members clapped and cheered in solidarity. Many employees wore green shirts and ribbons as a symbol of support for science.

In resignation letters, Houry and Daskalakis pointed to rising misinformation, political interference, and attacks on scientific integrity. Daskalakis said he could not remain in a role where policies would cause harm, citing his medical oath. Critics argue that Kennedy’s unscientific claims  such as vaccines causing autism or measles shots containing fetal cells  have undermined the CDC’s credibility.

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Kennedy defended his actions, saying the agency was broken and needed reform, though he declined to address specific resignations. His leadership has already faced backlash for spreading false claims about vaccines and launching investigations into autism without scientific evidence.

The upheaval adds to broader concerns about White House efforts to tighten control over independent U.S. agencies. Analysts warn that undermining the CDC risks weakening America’s response to global health crises and eroding public trust in science.