‘Americans should be alarmed’: Experts say loss of expertise at CDC will harm US health

Top officials exited agency under RFK Jr's leadership, and his anti-vax beliefs have dismayed medical community

After high-profile departures and sweeping layoffs, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) faces an unprecedented loss of expertise and a simultaneous erosion of trust as top health leaders undermine vaccines and other vital health tools.

Americans should be alarmed," said Nirav Shah, former principal deputy director at CDC and now a visiting professor at Colby College. All of these moves leave us less safe, and it comes at a time of rising public health threats."