Layoffs of U.S. CDC staffers are undercuting the research into stopping HIV, scientists say

CDC Staffing Upheaval Disrupts HIV Projects and Wastes Money, Researchers Say - KFF Health News Researchers laid off in April were putting the finishing touches on in-depth HIV surveys that guide treatment and prevention. Some staff have been reinstated, but data remains in limbo. kffhnamym KFF Health News

Dozens of HIV experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received emails on Wednesday revoking notices they received 10 weeks ago that laid them off. Damage to their projects may be permanent, however, and ongoing restrictions on their research will harm lives, multiple HIV scientists at the CDC told KFF Health News on condition of anonymity because of fears of retaliation.

The researchers were laid off in early April, just before they put the finishing touches on in-depth, national surveys about HIV. Health officials across the country had interviewed tens of thousands of people at risk of acquiring HIV, or who are living with the virus, and compiled information from mountains of medical records.