CDC Immunization Chief Resigns After Clash Over Transgender-Inclusive Language

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis resigned on 28 August as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, according to a letter he posted publicly. The longtime public-health official, who previously helped lead the federal response to monkeypox, said he could no longer serve in an environment that, in his words, “treats CDC as a tool” for policies that undermine science and harm public health. In his resignation, Daskalakis referred to “pregnant people” and included the pronouns “he/him,” language that drew immediate criticism from conservative commentators. He accused the Trump administration of attempting “to erase transgender populations” and curtail HIV programs and other equity-focused research. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the departure, telling reporters the administration does not want officials who use such terminology and stressing that anyone not aligned with President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to “make the country healthy again” would be asked to leave. The exit comes amid a wave of resignations at the CDC as the agency undertakes a broader reorganization ordered by the administration. HHS has not commented on Daskalakis’s allegations.