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

Current and former CDC workers and supporters gather to greet recently resigned agency leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, on 28 August 2025. Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA

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.”