Problems at the CDC

Like many sexual health educators, I was raised on a steady diet of data from the Centers for Disease Control (which might in fact explain all the stomach problems). The CDC has traditionally been the go to organization for information on prevalence and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases. But between the controversy over condom labeling and HPV and the bungling of Plan B, the CDC has begun to look less like a bastion for progressive and powerful science and more like an organizational yes man for the current administration.

This past weekend the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a detailed and disturbing story about the exodus of scientists from the CDC:

The most visible sign of potential trouble at CDC is the loss of more than a dozen high-profile leaders and scientists since 2004. By the end of this year, all but two of the directors of CDC's eight primary scientific centers will have left the Atlanta-based federal agency. The wave of departures --- which numerous CDC leaders call unprecedented --- also includes the agency's top vaccine expert and world experts in several diseases. Just last week CDC's pandemic flu coordinator said he's leaving.

Read more: Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Exodus, morale shake CDC