More than 750 current and former employees of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have sent a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and members of Congress accusing him of spreading medical misinformation and placing federal health workers at risk. Signatories from the CDC, National Institutes of Health and other HHS units say Kennedy’s rhetoric undermines public trust and contributed to the deadly 8 August attack on the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters. Georgia investigators say the 30-year-old gunman who killed police officer David Rose and fired hundreds of rounds at six CDC buildings held deep grievances about the COVID-19 vaccine. The letter argues that Kennedy’s public doubts about vaccine safety, including his dismissal of mRNA shots as ineffective and his description of the CDC as a “cesspool of corruption,” have intensified harassment of agency staff. The authors call on Kennedy to cease disseminating inaccurate health claims, publicly affirm the CDC’s scientific integrity, and institute stronger security measures—such as enhanced emergency alerts and removal of online “watchlists” that identify employees—by 2 September. They also urge him to rescind recent personnel decisions, including the ouster of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, which they say weakened preparedness. In a separate statement, HHS said Kennedy “stands firmly with CDC employees” and condemned violence against health workers, noting that the secretary traveled to Atlanta after the shooting. Kennedy has not directly addressed the demands laid out in the letter.

A Georgia man armed with a rifle fired at least 180 rounds into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Atlanta headquarters on Friday, shattering roughly 150 windows across four buildings, according to internal agency documents and officials briefed on the investigation. Bullets penetrated blast-resistant glass and sent shards as far as 60 feet into offices, but no CDC personnel were hurt. Authorities identified the shooter as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, who had publicly blamed COVID-19 vaccines for his depression. Investigators say White killed DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose during the rampage, was confronted by CDC security guards and later died after driving to a nearby pharmacy and opening fire again. Officials have not said whether he was shot by police or took his own life. Building 21, which houses CDC Director Susan Monarez’s office, absorbed the most bullet strikes. Agency staff have been instructed to work remotely this week, and CDC personnel estimate it could take weeks or even months to replace the damaged windows and clear debris. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. toured the campus on Monday with Monarez and Deputy Health Secretary Jim O’Neill, later meeting privately with Rose’s widow. “No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,” Kennedy said in a statement, pledging federal support for the CDC workforce as the agency assesses long-term security and operational impacts.

The White House on Wednesday removed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, saying the agency’s first Senate-confirmed chief was “not aligned” with President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. Monarez, who had held the post for barely four weeks, is contesting the decision; her lawyers argue she can be dismissed only by the president himself. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had pressed Monarez to endorse sweeping changes to vaccine policy and to fire senior staff, according to people familiar with the talks. Monarez resisted, calling the directives unscientific and potentially illegal. Kennedy said the CDC suffers from deep “malaise” and must execute the administration’s priorities. Within hours of the firing, Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, immunization chief Demetre Daskalakis, zoonotic-disease director Daniel Jernigan and data chief Jennifer Layden quit and were escorted from the CDC’s Atlanta campus. Hundreds of employees later staged a walkout in support of the departing leaders, leaving the nation’s top public-health agency effectively leaderless. An administration official said Kennedy’s deputy, Jim O’Neill, will serve as acting director while Trump selects a permanent nominee. Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy and other lawmakers called for oversight hearings, and Kennedy is scheduled to testify before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4. The upheaval follows Kennedy’s earlier dismissal of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel and the FDA’s decision this week to limit updated Covid-19 shots mainly to older adults and high-risk patients. Public-health groups warned that the leadership vacuum and continued political interference could undermine the CDC’s ability to respond to infectious-disease threats.

COVID-19 activity is accelerating across the United States, according to the latest weekly update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency’s wastewater surveillance system—which can detect spread before clinical tests or hospital visits—has moved to a “moderate” alert nationwide, up from “low” the previous week. The West is driving the increase, with Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah registering the highest viral concentrations. Separately, the CDC estimates infections are growing or likely growing in 45 states, up from 40 a week earlier. Although COVID-related emergency-room visits remain well below prior seasonal peaks, they have also risen over the past week, the agency said. Public-health officials say the uptick fits a pattern of summer surges that have become typical since the pandemic’s first year, but caution that vulnerable groups—including older adults, young children and the immunocompromised—should monitor local conditions and consider updated vaccinations and other preventive measures.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, resigned effective 28 August, posting a letter that criticized the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for what he called efforts to “erase transgender populations” and dismantle public-health programs. The letter drew notice for its inclusive language, including the phrase “pregnant people,” and for listing Daskalakis’s pronouns. Asked about the departure, the White House press secretary said officials who describe expectant mothers as “pregnant people” are “not someone we want in this administration,” underscoring the administration’s break with the departing scientist. Conservative commentators amplified that view, with GOP analyst Scott Jennings dismissing Daskalakis’s credibility during a CNN panel discussion on Thursday. Daskalakis is among several senior officials who have left or signaled plans to leave the agency after President Trump attempted to remove CDC Director Susan Monarez earlier this month. The departures come as Kennedy presses for sweeping changes at the CDC, stoking concern among former officials that the agency’s ability to respond to future outbreaks could be weakened.

U.S. health authorities are investigating a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 95 people in 14 states since January, including 73 infections in California. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 18 patients have required hospitalization but no deaths have been reported. The illnesses have been traced to large brown cage-free eggs supplied by Country Eggs LLC of Lucerne Valley, California. The company on 27 Aug recalled its products—marketed as “Sunshine Yolks” or “Omega-3 Golden Yolks” and sold under the retail names Nagatoshi Produce, Misuho and Nijiya Markets—after FDA traceback linked the eggs to multiple restaurant and grocery clusters. Affected cartons carry code CA 7695 and sell-by dates from 1 July through 18 September 2025; distribution was limited to California and Nevada, and production at the facility has been halted pending the investigation. Consumers are advised to discard or return the recalled eggs, sanitize any surfaces that may have come into contact with them, and seek medical care if they develop severe gastrointestinal symptoms. The CDC and FDA said additional cases could emerge because reporting lags by several weeks, and urged retailers and food-service operators to check inventory for the recalled lot.

A federal lawsuit has been filed against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), challenging the agency's childhood vaccine program, which includes a 72-dose schedule. The lawsuit alleges that the CDC has failed to test the cumulative safety effects of this hyper-vaccination regimen and has not submitted the legally required safety reports. The challenge was first reported by The Defender and involves claims that the CDC's vaccination program is illegal and unconstitutional. Attorney Aaron Siri, during a Senate hearing, highlighted that none of the childhood vaccines were tested against a true placebo, submitting a detailed 66-page document to the Senate. Concerns have also been raised about the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, which some argue primarily protects vaccine manufacturers from liability rather than ensuring vaccine safety. Additionally, Dr. Robert Clancy revealed that Moderna's RSV vaccine trial was paused after 12.5% of infants experienced life-threatening reactions, raising further questions about vaccine safety and oversight. These developments underscore ongoing debates about vaccine safety, regulatory transparency, and accountability among government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and medical institutions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently experiencing a crisis under the leadership of Director Rochelle Walensky Kennedy, which is affecting public health infrastructure across the United States. Experts and insiders report that this turmoil is spilling into real-world consequences, including challenges in food safety, vaccine availability, and a loss of trust and talent within the agency. As a result, outside groups and individual scientists and physicians are increasingly stepping in to perform work traditionally managed by the CDC. The situation has created a growing sense of despair within the agency and has plunged the public health sector into what experts describe as "uncharted waters." This disruption poses risks to the overall health infrastructure of the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that ultra-processed foods supplied 53% of daily calories for U.S. adults and 61.9% for children and adolescents between August 2021 and August 2023. Intake peaked at 64.8% for children aged 6–11, the agency said. Sandwiches, sweet bakery goods, savory snacks, pizza and sweetened drinks were the leading sources. The CDC warned that diets dominated by ultra-processed products are typically high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats while lacking fiber and whole foods, factors linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the findings underscore an urgent need to strengthen nutrition education and curb reliance on what he called the “processed-food industrial complex.” Kennedy said HHS is urging state governors to require medical schools to add a compulsory nutrition course and is drafting updated national dietary guidelines aimed at reducing ultra-processed food consumption.

One year after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. coined “Make America Healthy Again” at a 2024 Arizona rally backing Donald Trump, the anti-establishment health crusade has grown into a national force shaping federal and state policy. Since Kennedy’s confirmation as health and human services secretary in February, food companies have agreed to eliminate synthetic dyes, several states have barred soda purchases with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds, and an Operation Stork Speed plan aims to stabilise infant-formula supplies. The movement’s rapid ascent is matched by mounting friction. Internal documents reviewed by STAT show many flagship promises—such as a coordinated chronic-disease agency and tougher nutrition standards—remain unfunded or delayed, while tens of thousands of HHS jobs were trimmed in cost-cutting drives. Advisers acknowledge MAHA is now a litmus test ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, yet insiders complain the coalition is splintering over pesticides, benefit cuts and the pace of regulatory change. Kennedy’s most contentious moves centre on vaccines. In August he revoked COVID-19 shot recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women, dismissed the entire CDC vaccine-advisory panel and halted US$500 million in mRNA-vaccine contracts. He is also weighing revisions to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program that manufacturers warn could expose them to open-ended liability and push key products off the market. The American Academy of Pediatrics, public-health scholars and biotech executives say the strategy risks shortages and further erodes confidence in immunisation amid record US measles cases. Tensions culminated on 27 August when CDC director Susan Monarez resigned barely a month into the post after objecting to Kennedy’s reshuffle of vaccine advisers. Her departure follows a shooting at CDC headquarters by a gunman claiming vaccine injury and an employee letter urging the secretary to curb misinformation. HHS has yet to outline metrics for success or release promised conflict-of-interest data on new advisers. With MAHA entering its second year, supporters cite early policy wins and a sweeping public-relations campaign. Critics counter that secrecy, staffing upheaval and vaccine rollbacks threaten the movement’s credibility and public health itself. Whether Kennedy can translate populist momentum into durable health gains now hinges on his ability to deliver results without upending the nation’s immunisation infrastructure.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has appointed Retsef Levi, an MIT operations-management professor who has publicly questioned the safety of mRNA shots, to chair its COVID-19 immunization workgroup. The position will steer the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ review of vaccine data and recommendations. CDC staff will not serve on the panel, a sharp break with past practice. Levi’s elevation follows Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s June decision to dismiss all 17 ACIP members and replace them with seven new appointees, several of whom have expressed skepticism about routine immunizations. Earlier this month the department also cancelled $500 million in federal grants for mRNA-vaccine research and withdrew blanket recommendations for COVID shots in healthy children and pregnant women. Vaccine manufacturers and public-health experts warn the administration’s broader strategy could shrink access to longstanding vaccines. Industry officials say Kennedy’s plan to expand the list of injuries covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program could expose companies to litigation risks large enough to drive some products off the market. Internal resistance is growing. More than 750 HHS employees have sent a letter to Congress and the secretary urging him to stop spreading what they call medical misinformation, arguing that hostile rhetoric has endangered agency staff following an August shooting at CDC headquarters. The White House insisted policy decisions will continue to be based on “gold-standard science” and denied reports that COVID vaccines will be withdrawn in the coming months.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told physician groups, public-health professionals and infectious-disease specialists that they will no longer take part in the working groups that prepare evidence for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the body that shapes national vaccine recommendations, according to an internal email first reported by Bloomberg. The message said the change was needed to ensure discussions are 'free of influence from any special interest groups,' calling the outside organisations biased because of the populations they represent. About 30 professional societies—among them the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Infectious Diseases Society of America—have historically supplied unpaid experts who sift through data on efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness before ACIP votes. In a joint statement, eight of those groups said the decision is 'irresponsible' and 'dangerous to the nation’s health' because it removes long-standing, independent expertise from the review process. The step marks the second major overhaul of ACIP this summer. In June, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all 17 voting members of the committee and installed seven replacements, several of whom have questioned the value of routine immunisation. The latest move extends the shake-up to the subcommittees that do much of ACIP’s technical work. Ousted advisers and other specialists warn the restructuring could erode public trust in vaccination guidelines. Seventeen former ACIP members used a New England Journal of Medicine editorial to call for an alternative mechanism to vet vaccine policy, while Democrats on the Senate Health Committee have opened an investigation into Kennedy’s actions. Legal challenges to the changes are also pending.