CDC websites removed then restored after White House orders

Hundreds of CDC websites were removed in the first weeks after the new administration took office, including pages that referenced gender data and transgender guidance for Mpox and STD treatment. The pages were later restored with an asterisk noting they predated the executive order.

Former CDC chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry said the initial directive came directly from the White House and applied to any content containing the term gender.

Vaccine campaign materials pulled during flu season Houry described an email exchange that began the day after the health secretary was sworn in. CDC communications staff were told to remove all advertisements for the "Wild to Mild" flu vaccination campaign that had already been paid for and tested.

She said staff pushed back, noting the season was the worst in more than 15 years and nearly 300 children had died. The request was labeled a direct order from the secretary and was not altered. Houry said childhood vaccination rates have declined since the secretary took office.

She added that the secretary has not corrected public statements about vaccine composition that CDC staff flagged as inaccurate.

Requests for historical data during measles outbreak Houry said that during the largest measles outbreak since 2000, political appointees asked for 15 years of case-level data rather than information on the current response in Texas and other states.

She stated that one request came from Children's Health Defense, the organization formerly led by the secretary. Houry said she offered to help correct talking points that referenced fetal tissue in vaccines and promoted vitamin A as treatment.