Trump Admin Cuts to USAID, WHO, Likely Stalling Response to Ebola Outbreak, Health Experts Warn

Trump administration cuts to USAID grants likely slowed the response to the current Ebola outbreak in parts of central Africa. As of Monday, at least 220 people were suspected to have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, with more than 500 cases detected in Congo. The virus was officially uncovered only last week, but it likely spread undetected for weeks. The Trump White House dismantled USAID, with the State Department absorbing remaining programs, and the cuts affected billions of dollars in funding for thousands of programs and nonprofits. Former officials said intact funding could have improved detection speed and maintained trained personnel.

"Trump administration cuts to grants disbursed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) likely resulted in a delayed response to the current Ebola outbreak in parts of central Africa, former federal health officials have said."

"As of Monday, at least 220 people are suspected to have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. More than 500 cases of Ebola have been detected in Congo alone. Though the virus was officially uncovered just last week, it's believed that it had been spreading undetected for at least several weeks prior."

"The Trump White House dismantled USAID last year, with the State Department absorbing its remaining necessary programs. The cuts affected billions of dollars in grant money for thousands of programs and nonprofit organizations around the world. If left intact, some of that funding could have resulted in faster detection times for the current outbreak, former federal officials within USAID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) told NBC News,"

""What we've lost is speed, which is the most important thing in an outbreak like this," said Nicholas Enrich, former acting assistant administrator for global health at USAID. People who were once employed in programs funded by the U.S. have had to find new jobs, former CDC medical officer Daniel Bausch pointed out. "Now they're driving a taxi in Kinshasa or selling fruit somewhere. So this cadre of reaso"

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