ISTANBUL

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday called for protecting the vital work at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid an upheaval at the premier agency.

"The work of the US CDC has been invaluable and must be protected," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement, acknowledging that while no institution is perfect, the CDC requires continued improvements as the "latest science and evidence is applied to emerging challenges.”

The WHO maintains a close partnership with the CDC, which "has ensured that Americans and people around the world benefit from the best American science" while providing the US access to global health data and guidance, said Tedros.

He stressed the CDC's international impact, noting: "The US CDC has long been a centre of excellence, and many countries have emulated it to establish similar institutions by adopting its best practices."

Tedros shared his personal experience with the US agency’s expertise, saying that when he served as Ethiopia's health minister, he sent teams to CDC headquarters in Atlanta to learn from it.

Tedros also credited the CDC as an inspiration for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – which he proposed at the 2013 African Union summit while serving as Ethiopia's foreign minister, as well as other global health institutions.

The WHO maintains a close partnership with the CDC, which "has ensured that Americans and people around the world benefit from the best American science" while providing the US access to global health data and guidance, said Tedros.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the US health and human services secretary, has made a series of controversial moves, including downplaying the use of vaccines and last month’s firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, followed by mass resignations of senior officials protesting his approach as leader.