March 25 (Reuters) – Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya will continue to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the White House looks to name a permanent head, a health department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The CDC has been in a state of uncertainty since U.S. President Donald Trump fired Director Susan Monarez in August after she objected to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposed vaccine policy changes. She was replaced by Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, who in turn was replaced by U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya in February.
“Dr. Bhattacharya will continue to oversee the CDC by performing the delegable duties of the CDC director,” the spokesperson said, adding that Kennedy and HHS chief counselor Chris Klomp are working with the White House on the CDC director search.
The Washington Post reported the development earlier in the day.
The Post reported on Sunday that about six candidates, including former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, Mississippi health director Daniel Edney and cardiologist Joseph Marine, were being considered for the role.
(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los Angeles, Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto and Mariam Sunny and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis, Rod Nickel)
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