LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Nine former chiefs of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have jointly criticized U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for "endangering" the health of Americans.

In an opinion essay published Monday in The New York Times, the nine officials, including seven former directors and two former acting directors, voiced alarm over the "wide-ranging impact" of Kennedy's recent decisions on the U.S. health security.

"What the health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has done to the CDC and to our nation's public health system over the past several months -- culminating in his decision to fire Dr. Susan Monarez as CDC director days ago -- is unlike anything we had ever seen at the agency and unlike anything our country had ever experienced," the essay said.

The former CDC leaders criticized Kennedy for firing thousands of health workers and dismantling vital disease prevention programs, warning such actions weaken protections against cancer, heart disease, lead poisoning and infectious outbreaks.

They noted that Kennedy has promoted unproven treatments while downplaying vaccines amid the largest U.S. measles outbreak in a generation, canceled investments in critical medical research, replaced experts on federal health advisory committees with unqualified individuals, and halted U.S. support for global vaccination programs.

Such moves, they cautioned, will leave the country ill prepared for future health emergencies and put vulnerable populations, including children, low-income families and people with disabilities, at particular risk.

Monarez's legal team recently issued a statement, accusing Kennedy of "weaponizing public health for political gain" and said that by purging health officials from the government, he had put "millions of American lives at risk." ■