Federal Health Agencies Lack Confirmed Directors at CDC, FDA, and NIH Institutes

Federal health agencies are operating without permanent directors at several top positions. The CDC and FDA have no confirmed directors. The surgeon general position also remains unconfirmed.

A former senior NIH official who participated in director search committees stated that interference is occurring in the appointment process. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and his deputies are currently in place while the institute-level vacancies persist.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing its third-largest Ebola outbreak on record. The U.S. previously provided hundreds of millions of dollars annually for infectious disease programs in the country. Aid reductions occurred in the months before the current outbreak began.

An American doctor infected in the outbreak zone was flown to Germany for treatment on Tuesday. Five family members who may have been exposed will travel to Germany for monitoring. A seventh individual, another doctor with high-risk exposure, is being monitored in the Czech Republic.

Satish Pillai, CDC incident manager for the outbreak, provided the details during a press conference.