Trump, Musk Aid Cuts Weaken Ebola Response as U.S. Had Funded 70% of Congo Relief
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Trump, Musk Aid Cuts Weaken Ebola Response as U.S. Had Funded 70% of Congo Relief
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Summary
A fast-growing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is exposing gaps left after the Trump administration and Elon Musk gutted USAID, removing tools once used to detect and contain epidemics.
USAID had maintained a major presence in Ituri, where the outbreak appears to have begun, and former Ebola response chief Jeremy Konyndyk said unexplained hemorrhagic-fever clusters there would previously have triggered an immediate White House alert.
The United States had financed about 70% of humanitarian work in Congo, but most aid was cut off abruptly, leaving fewer health workers and weaker surveillance as Ebola spread before authorities recognized it.
The piece argues those cuts did not guarantee this outbreak could have been stopped, but they left the U.S. and Congo in a worse position to respond to a disease that can quickly cross borders.