<p>Nirav Shah, head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/cdc" target="_blank">CDC</a>), will become principal deputy director of the US CDC, Maine Governor Janet Mills said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Shah joined Maine CDC in June 2019 and led its efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. He will replace Debra Houry, who joined in 2021, and will report to US CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.</p>.<p>His appointment, which comes a day after the United States extended Covid-19's status as a public health emergency, is part of a broader ongoing revamp of the agency's structure.</p>.<p>The US CDC said in August it would undergo a series of changes to prioritize its public health response, after months of criticism over the agency's handling of Covid-19 and the monkeypox crisis.</p>.<p>Maine CDC's deputy director, Nancy Beardsley, will serve as the state agency's interim head while the Maine Department of Health and Human Services conducts a national search for Shah's replacement. </p>
<p>Nirav Shah, head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/cdc" target="_blank">CDC</a>), will become principal deputy director of the US CDC, Maine Governor Janet Mills said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Shah joined Maine CDC in June 2019 and led its efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. He will replace Debra Houry, who joined in 2021, and will report to US CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.</p>.<p>His appointment, which comes a day after the United States extended Covid-19's status as a public health emergency, is part of a broader ongoing revamp of the agency's structure.</p>.<p>The US CDC said in August it would undergo a series of changes to prioritize its public health response, after months of criticism over the agency's handling of Covid-19 and the monkeypox crisis.</p>.<p>Maine CDC's deputy director, Nancy Beardsley, will serve as the state agency's interim head while the Maine Department of Health and Human Services conducts a national search for Shah's replacement. </p>