On February 27, 2025, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were told that they “should not be co-authors on manuscripts/abstracts with [World Health Organization (WHO)] staff.” The order also prohibited staff from authoring any publications related to work funded by the WHO.
CDC staff were told to recuse themselves as authors or, if they were the lead authors, stop the publication process altogether. The guidance document also ordered staff to do the same for manuscripts submitted prior to January 20, 2025, that do not comply with President Trump’s executive orders.
While the interim guidance document was shared with staff in the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)’s Influenza Division, it referred broadly to CDC staff in general, leading to confusion over how many other parts of the agency will be affected. The order followed an executive order on January 20, 2025, to pull the United States out of WHO and an order on January 27, 2025, to cease all communications with WHO staff.