The Next CDC Director Will Face Measles, Bird Flu, and a Skeptical Public

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President Trump has recently announced the nomination of Dr. Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If confirmed, Dr. Monarez – who has been serving as the acting director of the CDC – will be leading the agency at a time when public trust in the CDC is at a low point and when the country is facing the public health challenges of measles cases in multiple states and the ongoing threat of bird flu.

In early 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were high levels of public trust in the CDC to provide reliable information about the disease. Over the course of the pandemic, KFF tracking polls found declining trust in the agency, especially among Republicans. The January 2025 KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust found that about four in ten adults now express little to no trust in the CDC to make the right recommendations on health –  and there is a large partisan divide. At the same time, our polling has also found an increase in skepticism towards childhood MMR vaccines among parents, with one in four now saying the risks of MMR vaccines outweigh the benefits, rising to one-third among Republican-leaning parents.

These trends of declining trust in the CDC and in the benefits of childhood vaccinations may complicate any efforts to address emerging public health challenges like the ongoing measles outbreak and the continued threat of bird flu. In January, KFF polling found that about three in ten adults say they have little or no trust in the CDC to make recommendations about the childhood vaccine schedules. Similarly, the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust found about four in ten adults say they have little to no trust in the CDC to provide reliable information about bird flu.

Dr. Monarez has been serving as acting director of the CDC since January and her nomination signals a vote of confidence from President Trump. There have also been reports that Dr. Monarez has worked effectively with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. While Dr. Monarez may have the trust and confidence of President Trump, it remains to be seen whether she will be able to restore trust and confidence in the CDC among Republicans more broadly.