About 700 of the 1,300 affected CDC staff returned on Saturday, while 600 remain laid off|CDC|Daniel Mayer|CC BY-SA 3.0
Hundreds of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees who were mistakenly fired on Friday have been rehired, says the American Federation of Government Employees.
About 700 of the 1,300 affected staff returned on Saturday, while 600 remain laid off. Officials said a coding error caused the wrong notices.
The rehired workers include staff who publish the CDC’s main journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, disease detectives in the Epidemic Intelligence Service, and employees managing immunization, global health, and $3 billion in local health grants.
The firing error comes as top CDC officials had resigned earlier this year in protest over political interference.
Experts warn that staff cuts leave the country less prepared for future health crises, including outbreaks like measles, which are rising in the US.
President Donald Trump said the firings targeted workers aligned with Democrats, while the legality of firing federal employees during a shutdown is being challenged in court.