The CDC and its health legacy

The pivotal events and controversies within the CDC and how it relates to the American people

Photo courtesy of Elijah Nouvelage / Getty Images.

Allen Liu, Copy Editor & Prisha Jain, Staff Writer

For nearly a century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acted as the sword and shield of American public health, issuing federal guidelines and regulations on topics ranging from healthy handwashing habits to nationwide vaccine mandates. Recently, however, the credibility of the CDC and its ability to stay impartial amidst political turmoil have been called into question.

Founded on July 1, 1946, in Atlanta, Ga., the CDC is the United States’ premier public health governmental agency, meaning it is federally funded and directly oversees disease prevention and health protection. Historically, the CDC is credited with feats such as eradicating smallpox, disseminating the polio vaccine worldwide, and playing a central role in containing various other infectious diseases such as Ebola, Zika virus, and H1N1 influenza.

This trend of biotechnological innovation and scientific advancement was once thought to be unstoppable. However, the arrival of COVID-19 quickly revealed the shortcomings of the agency and its unpreparedness for a novel pandemic. The American public expected quick, accurate, and well-informed guidance on proper procedures for COVID-19 and were instead met with testing kit complications, mixed messaging, and mass shortages of livesaving personal protective equipment (PPE). These missteps have since fueled a general sentiment of distrust and skepticism over the once esteemed CDC.

Adding to this strain are the recent budget cuts imposed by the Trump administration. Proposed cuts would slash funding by 53%, eliminate 61 programs, and lay off another 16% of health agency staff. Proponents argue that these cuts will streamline bureaucratic operations and save previous taxpayer dollars, but critics warn that the reductions make America vulnerable to constantly emerging health threats.

In an effort to reverse the status quo, the United States’ Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has implemented sweeping changes to both ideology and policy within the CDC. In particular, he aims to flip American nutrition on its head to crack down on ultraprocessed foods, additives, chemicals, and seed oils: factors he views as the root of the nation’s health crisis. Simultaneously, Kennedy has waged war against vaccine science, publicly attributing the recent rise in autism diagnoses to the increase in vaccine administration.

Consequently, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to shift from a universal recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines to one based on individual choice. At the same time, the nation faces one of the deadliest flu seasons in recent history, with the highest rate of child deaths recorded in over a decade, raising more concerns about the CDC’s tumultuous recommendations. 

Concerns over political influence inside the CDC escalated further after the abrupt firing of newly appointed CDC director Susan Monarez, less than a month into her position. According to Monarez, she was removed after refusing to authorize a vaccine she believed lacked sufficient data and peer-reviewed research. The Department of Health and Human Services has not publicly confirmed the reason for her dismissal.

“Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology or compromise my integrity,” Monarez said in her opening testimony to senators. “Vaccine policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes.”

Monarez is set to testify before Congress, while her incoming replacement, Jim O'Neill, has sparked his own fair share of debate due to concern with his close political ties and minimal background in science or medicine.

The growing hostility surrounding public health institutions became even more visible after a shooting at the CDC's Atlanta headquarters in August 2025. Authorities said a gunman opened fire on multiple CDC buildings, shattering windows across the campus and killing a DeKalb County police officer before later dying at the scene. Investigators believe the shooter specifically targeted the CDC over grievances tied to COVID-19 vaccines, intensifying concerns about the consequences of misinformation and the increasingly politicized perception of public health agencies. 

For many former CDC officials and scientists, these developments signal a broader erosion of trust in public health institutions. Fiona Havers, a former CDC infectious disease doctor who resigned in June, said she left because political pressure was beginning to outweigh scientific evidence within the agency. While at the CDC, Havers oversaw a hospitalization tracking system monitoring COVID-19 trends nationwide.

"I think the problem with what's happening now is that people are trying to take away access to vaccines because they falsely believe that the vaccines are harmful, and I think that that can have very damaging consequences," Havers said.

Havers warned that declining vaccination rates could lead to preventable deaths, particularly among children and older adults.

"I'm honestly really worried that we're going to see a lot more Americans, like older adults and children and other people, die of potentially preventable diseases if vaccination rates drop," Havers said.

Scientists outside the CDC have also expressed concern about the growing politicization of science. Juliete Francisco da Silva, a scientist and immunologist at Emory University, emphasized the importance of maintaining trust in scientific research and evidence-based medicine.

"If we don't believe in science, we will retrocede. In four years, we will retrocede more than a hundred years in development. I think we need to be very careful what we fight for,” Silva said.

The uncertainty surrounding the CDC has also affected students preparing to enter scientific and medical fields. Emory University was founded in 1836 in Newton County, Ga. It has since become a widely-renowned “New Ivy League” university with prestige in its robust nursing and medicine programs. Emory is also home to dozens of Northview alumni who aim to pursue a career in STEM. The latest developments in science and rhetoric have sparked concern among students who believe their future is implicated in the fight against science.

Freshman at Emory University and Northview alumnus, Kento Taylor, expresses his uneasiness regarding the state of current affairs.

“When public trust in science is compromised, it affects everything we do from research grants to the way we’re taught,” Taylor said. “It’s frustrating to see science politicized when so many of us dedicate our lives to it.”