Why is the timing of staff reductions at public health agencies particularly concerning right now?

The timing is potentially catastrophic because there's currently a measles outbreak spreading unchecked in communities with low vaccination rates across the United States. This public health emergency is occurring precisely as Donald Trump's purge of the federal workforce is targeting employees at the nation's health agencies, including CDC. Making matters worse, the person now in charge of handling this outbreak and other health threats is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is widely known not just for his famous name but as an active anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. This leadership situation creates significant concerns for managing the outbreak effectively when public health expertise is most needed.