Epidemic Intelligence Service Layoffs Amid Measles Outbreak

With a measles outbreak spreading in West Texas and New Mexico, approximately 1,300 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officers were eliminated by the Trump administration on Feb. 15. Health officials raised alarm as the layoffs represented approximately 10% of the agency’s workforce, and multiple epidemics are occurring both domestically and globally. Of chief concern were the layoffs of about 50 officers at the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) who respond to local outbreaks, including upticks in measles, bird flu, and seasonal flu. 

Of growing concern, on Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) updated its information on the measles outbreak in the South Plains region of Texas, noting 90 reported cases since late January. Sixteen of the patients have been hospitalized. While five of the cases are vaccinated, the rest are unvaccinated, or their vaccination status is unknown. Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, DSHS said additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities. As of Friday, while Gaines County, Texas, is reporting the most cases, the disease has spread to five other West Texas Counties, including Dawson, Ector, Lubbock, Lynn, Terry, and Yoakum. The vast majority of cases are in children aged five to 17 (51 cases), with children ages 4 or less the next highest (26 cases).  

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has reported 9 measles cases as of Feb. 20 in Lea County, which borders Texas’s Gaines County. While a connection to the Texas outbreak is suspected, NMDOH said it remains unconfirmed, as CMM previously reported.   

The EIS disease detectives have been on the front-line of epidemic investigation, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) reported. Having learned alongside top leaders in the field of hands-on epidemiology at home and abroad, these experts have helped to protect people from polio, smallpox, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, SARS, pandemic influenza, and COVID-19, among others. 

Beyond pandemic and bioterrorism response, EIS officers play a critical role in controlling infections within healthcare facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, and ambulatory surgery centers. Their work includes: 

• Investigating clusters of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to determine sources of contamination. 

• Monitoring antimicrobial resistance trends to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens. 

• Responding to Legionella, C. difficile, and Candida auris outbreaks in healthcare settings. 

• Providing real-time infection control recommendations to protect patients and healthcare workers. 

APIC said that despite claims that these layoffs will reduce cost, cutting CDC personnel—especially EIS officers—may ultimately increase healthcare expenses. When infectious disease outbreaks go unchecked, the resulting hospitalizations, emergency responses, and medical interventions place a greater financial burden on the healthcare system. Investing in early detection and prevention is far more cost-effective than dealing with large-scale public health crises, the association said.