While the CDC is a key institution overseeing and funding public health in the US, it’s also instrumental in global health. By April, 25 per cent of CDC staff had been fired and its contract spending was cut by 35 per cent. CDC staff provided technical advice on strengthening laboratory diagnosis, contact tracing and surveillance. The CDC has lost the trust of the American people and is no longer regarded as the preeminent public health agency in the world. Governments, research institutes and health development agencies around the world must unite to decry this loss of global health expertise.