Trump administration dismisses nearly half of 'disease detectives' even as bird flu concerns rise

The Trump administration on Friday (Feb 14) dismissed nearly half of the elite Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), a storied unit of epidemiologists known as the nation's "disease detectives."

The move, which comes as bird flu fears intensify, has sparked alarm among health experts, who say they're "so angry" by the move.

Trump firings

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The mass layoffs are part of broader efforts by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to downsize federal agencies and come as newly confirmed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed a sweeping overhaul of national health institutions.

'I'm so angry' — CDC insiders sound the alarm

Speaking to AFP, a senior epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said, "I'm so angry".

The senior staff member cautioned, "We're on the verge of potentially another pandemic and we're firing the people who have probably more expertise than anyone else in the country collectively".

The layoffs, first reported by CBS News, reportedly mainly target employees still within their probationary period, a window in which federal workers can be dismissed more easily. In total, nearly 1,300 CDC employees—roughly 10 per cent of the agency's workforce—were let go.

Who are 'disease detectives'?

'Disease detectives' is the name given to epidemiologists of the elite Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS).

Founded in 1951, the EIS has been on the frontlines of major outbreaks, from smallpox eradication efforts to the first Ebola cases in Africa and the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officers, recruited through a rigorous selection process, consist of doctors, nurses, scientists and more. Some of them are stationed at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, others are deployed across the country.

Several CDC chiefs have begun their careers as part of the elite EIS.

The 2024 EIS class was informed on Friday that termination emails would be sent that afternoon. The 2023 class remains under review. There are around 140 officers across both classes.

Around 30 officers, of both classes, were hired via the US Public Health Service, and are currently unaffected, reports AFP.

"Without those officers we would not have eliminated smallpox from the globe," the CDC epidemiologist said. "We had people fanning across countries, wading through mud and navigating rivers on boats to eliminate smallpox."

This comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was formally appointed the Health Secretary on Friday. RFK Jr has long been vocal about his distrust of infectious disease research. He recently suggested pausing such studies for eight years to prioritise chronic conditions instead. Kennedy has also questioned widely accepted medical science, challenging the role of germs in disease transmission and disputing the link between HIV and AIDS.

(With inputs from agencies)