The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is not ready to nominate a new director for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) due to the Vacancies Act, which limits the amount of time an acting officer can serve in place of a Senate-confirmed official to 210 days. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who is also director of the US National Institutes of Health, may no longer hold the title of acting director, which he has had since last month. The HHS is also considering new candidates for the position and is continuing to review existing ones. The most recent CDC director, Dr. Susan Monarez, was fired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The agency has been dealing with uncertainty and loss under the second Trump administration.