Emergency physician and Ebola survivor Craig Spencer warns that the dismantling of U.S. global health leadership is fueling a catastrophic new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As of May 22, the DRC reported 246 suspected cases. The same day, a death was reported in Kampala, Uganda. Less than a week after it was declared, this is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak in history.
Spencer, who contracted Ebola treating patients in West Africa in 2014, says the infrastructure built after that epidemic-surveillance networks, rapid response teams, and diplomatic partnerships-has been dismantled over the past year as the United States abdicated its global health leadership.
The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccines or effective treatments exist. Outbreak response relies on contact tracing, isolation, and community support-extremely difficult in eastern Congo, where armed conflict has displaced millions and damaged health facilities.
The dismantling of USAID eliminated a specialized rapid response team with Ebola experience. The New York Times reports that delayed detection of the virus stemmed from samples transported at the wrong temperature-a task USAID would have previously overseen. By the time U.S. officials learned of the outbreak, nearly a month had passed since the first death.
Spencer, now an associate professor at Brown University, urges restoring funding, coordinating with the WHO, and accelerating development of new treatments.