Dozens of employees were fired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late on Friday, as the Trump Administration made good on its promise to begin mass firings in response to a prolonged government shutdown.

The layoffs targeted leaders in departments related to respiratory diseases, chronic diseases, injury prevention and global health, the New York Times reported. Roughly 70 Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, also known as “disease detectives”, the entire staff and editors of the CDC’s publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), and the agency’s Washington office were all notified of their termination, according to the report.

It comes as the agency is still reeling from months of uncertainty after a change in leadership and priorities und

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