Citing financial conflicts, US CDC director quits after just six months

2 February 2018

As the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) struggles to manage the country’s worst flu outbreak in years, the agency suffered a blow Wednesday with the resignation of its director Brenda Fitzgerald.

Dr Fitzgerald was forced to quit after it was revealed share purchases she had made after taking up the appointment constituted a conflict of interest.

While the outgoing director finally signed a formal ethics agreement in early September, two months after assuming the role, it was found that she purchased tobacco stocks and stocks in pharma majors Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) and Bayer (BAYN: DE) in August.

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