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USA, Jim O’Neill appointed interim director of the CDC

Susan Monarez removed after one month: clash over vaccination policy

Change at the top of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Jim O’Neill, deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, has been appointed interim director, replacing Susan Monarez, who was removed on Wednesday after just one month in the role. The news, broken by CBS, was confirmed by an internal message sent by Kennedy to CDC staff, in which he spoke of his desire to “rebuild this institution by returning it to what it should always have been: the guardian of America’s health and safety”.

O’Neill’s profile
O’Neill has been in office since June as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Already active during the George W. Bush administration, he has a background in Silicon Valley, at Clarium Capital and as CEO of the Thiel Foundation. His appointment strengthens the link between the tech world and the new government’s healthcare policy.

Political tensions and internal resignations
However, Monarez’s dismissal risks opening up a legal dispute. Her lawyers argue that she was dismissed for refusing to endorse “unscientific and reckless directives”, with particular reference to the Trump-Kennedy administration’s vaccination policy. The White House, through spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, reiterated that “those who are not aligned with the president and secretary’s vision of restoring the country’s health will be shown the door”.

The removal has already prompted the resignation of at least four senior CDC officials, including Debra Houry, Chief Science and Medical Officer, and Demetre Daskalakis, head of the National Centre for Immunisation and Respiratory Diseases.

A political and health game
O’Neill’s appointment confirms Kennedy Jr and the White House’s policy of radically changing the management of the main federal health agency at a time when the debate on vaccination and preparedness for health emergencies is dividing American politics, the scientific community and public opinion.

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