Two related reports documented sweeping personnel actions that disrupted federal public-health capacity. One account described overnight notices that more than 1,000 HHS and CDC staffers were dismissed amid a government shutdown; another detailed rapid firings at the CDC followed by urgent rehires after outlets reported that outbreak-response teams and scientific units had been hit. Sources include internal lists and interviews with former CDC leaders who warned the firings cut teams responsible for measles and Ebola responses, epidemiologic surveillance, and the agency’s MMWR publication. Officials said some terminations were later reversed after job-code misclassifications were identified. The episode raises immediate concerns about continuity of outbreak detection and response and will prompt operational and policy scrutiny over staffing, classification systems and contingency planning for public-health emergencies.