Nearly every member of an official advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed an open letter demanding the agency explain why it removed troves of vital health datasets from its website.
The removal of the datasets took place on Friday, as part of a governmentwide effort to comply with Trump administration orders prohibiting public communication related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, with an emphasis on anything tied to gender and sexuality.
At the CDC, that has led to the removal of public datasets like the Youth Risk Factor Behavioral Surveillance System, which ― as the official CDC website formerly stated ― is “used by health departments, educators, lawmakers, doctors, and community organizations to inform school and community programs, communications campaigns, and other efforts.”
Also gone from the CDC website is information about the Social Vulnerability Index, which officials use for disaster management planning, as well as AtlasPlus, where data on HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis could be accessed.
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