Health experts accuse the United States of failing to address a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, following massive cuts to global and domestic public health programs. The rare Bundibugyo variant of Ebola, for which no vaccine or cure exists, has infected hundreds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with potential spread to South Sudan.
Outbreak Details
Since April, the DRC has reported 482 suspected cases and about 116 deaths. Uganda has two confirmed cases and one death. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) immediately, bypassing the usual committee process. Officials warn the outbreak may persist for months.
US Absence
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) was dismantled last year, and thousands of health agency staff were laid off. Key scientific research was canceled, including at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ebola lab in Maryland, which remains shuttered. The US also announced its withdrawal from the WHO, cutting $130 million in funding and leading to 2,371 job losses at the organization.
Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Center for Global Health Policy and Politics at Georgetown University, called the cuts a "self-inflicted wound." He noted that US foreign assistance to the DRC plummeted from $1.4 billion in 2024 to just $21 million so far in 2026. "This outbreak should have been detected weeks ago," he said, adding that the US has "stopped playing the role" of preventing global outbreaks.
Impact on Response
The CDC has no director, and key positions at US health agencies remain vacant. The DRC country office has only 25 to 30 staff, down from previous levels. Ebola response teams were suspended, and health centers and medical supplies were cut. Kristian Andersen, a professor at Scripps Research, emphasized that it is far cheaper to prevent outbreaks than to respond to them. "We are upending the table," he said.
Instead of providing aid, the US announced travel bans for noncitizens from the affected region. The Africa CDC called for countries to avoid "fear-driven" travel bans. Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, stated, "The fastest path to protecting all countries is to aggressively support outbreak control at the source."
Expert Warnings
Kavanagh described the outbreak as "out of control" and warned of economic and geopolitical implications. "Ebola can be stopped," he said. "If we don't mobilize dollars and public health efforts, we are simply choosing not to stop the outbreak."
