Ebola

UN: Ebola Outbreak Now Third-Largest Ever

Is this a failure of global health cuts or proof that decades of spending never fixed the root causes?

Published 2 hours ago

UN: Ebola Outbreak Now Third-Largest Ever

Story

Above: A doctor removes his protective equipment in Bunia, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, on July 13. Image credit: Benediction Murhabazi/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The Congo Ebola outbreak is spiraling out of control in large part thanks to global health funding cuts pushed by the likes of the Donald Trump administration. Defunding programs that trained responders, built labs and maintained supply chains didn't save money — it created the conditions for a historic disaster. Forcing American responders into a makeshift tent facility in Kenya instead of proven biocontainment units back home is both unconstitutional and scientifically indefensible.

Dr. Angela Rasmussen on Substack UN News

Establishment-critical narrative

Blaming the Trump administration for Congo's Ebola outbreak ignores 50 years of recurring outbreaks that predate any U.S. aid cuts. The real drivers are armed conflict, mass migration and deep community distrust of outside responders — problems that $8 billion in U.S. spending over the past decade failed to fix. The administration moved fast, mobilizing over $200 million in emergency aid, and the outbreak remains nowhere near the scale of the 2014 West Africa epidemic.

The Washington Times

Malone News on Substack