The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is facing a leadership upheaval — and at the center of the shakeup is concern about the agency's approach to vaccines and U.S. public health.

The White House on Thursday said President Donald Trump had fired CDC Director Susan Monarez after she refused to resign. Lawyers for Monarez said she was "targeted" for "protecting the public over serving a political agenda."

Meanwhile, four other top health officials at the CDC announced Wednesday they were quitting the agency. That includes Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who said he could no longer serve because of the "weaponizing of public health."

The loss of those respected leaders and efforts to oust Monarez follow a string of

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