The White House has appointed Jim O'Neill, deputy to Health Secretary Robert F.Kennedy Jr, as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) following the abrupt removal of Dr Susan Monarez.
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bbc.comThe decision comes after Monarez, a former Trump nominee confirmed by the Senate in July, was terminated less than a month into her role due to alleged misalignment with the president’s agenda.
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aljazeera.comLeadership Shift Amid Controversy, O'Neill, a former Silicon Valley tech investor and HHS deputy secretary since June, will lead the agency at a time of deepening divisions over vaccine policies.
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abcnews.go.comHis appointment follows the resignation of at least three senior CDC officials, including Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry and National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases director Demetre Daskalakis, who cited frustration with political interference in scientific decision-making.
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pbs.orgLegal Battle Over Termination, Monarez’s lawyers argued her firing was illegal, claiming she refused to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives” and protect dedicated health experts.
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theguardian.comThe White House defended the move, stating Monarez was “not aligned with the president’s agenda” to “make America healthy again.” Kennedy, a vocal vaccine skeptic, framed the CDC as an institution in crisis, accusing it of spreading “misinformation” about public health measures like mask-wearing.
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bbc.comaljazeera.comResignations Signal Institutional Crisis, the exodus of top officials included Jennifer Layden, head of the Office of Public Health Data, and Daniel Jernigan, who resigned after being pressured to revise vaccine safety studies aligned with anti-vaccine narratives.
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theguardian.comDaskalakis warned that the agency’s new direction posed real risks to public health, stating, “I fear that children will be hurt by poor decision making around vaccines.”.
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pbs.orgPolitical Overreach Concerns, critics including Senator Bernie Sanders condemned the removal of Monarez as “reckless” and “dangerous,” calling for an investigation.
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bbc.comThe CDC’s leadership vacuum has worsened since Trump took office, with Kennedy purging vaccine advisory boards and cutting funding for medical research.
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pbs.orgO'Neill’s confirmation hearing in May revealed his support for vaccines but not government mandates, raising questions about his suitability for leading a public health agency.
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abcnews.go.comLegacy of Turmoil, the CDC has faced turmoil since Trump’s election, exacerbated by a deadly shooting at its Atlanta headquarters last month, where a gunman blamed vaccines for his health issues.
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pbs.orgMonarez’s lawyers argued the administration’s actions risked “weaponizing public health” for political gain, while Kennedy defended reforms as necessary to restore trust in the agency.
