Nancy Cox, a CDC veteran and a stalwart in global flu research, dies at 77
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- CDC grew its influenza division from 14 staff to over 100 under Cox’s 22‑year leadership.
- Nancy Cox died at 77 from glioblastoma, ending a career that shaped global flu surveillance.
- Daniel Jernigan succeeded Cox as deputy director in 2014, continuing her pandemic‑preparedness work.
- Richard Webby highlighted Cox’s role in integrating modern tech into vaccine strain selection for annual flu vaccines.
- Keiji Fukuda praised Cox’s diplomatic outreach that linked countries worldwide into a unified flu monitoring network.
Why it matters: The CDC’s flu division, now over 100 staff, retains Cox’s surveillance framework, but her loss removes a pivotal strategist, risking slower vaccine strain updates and delayed pandemic response.
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