Health experts and researchers have raised concerns that anEbola outbreak in central Africais spreading more quickly than it should, pointing to reduced US public health support as a key factor limiting international response efforts.
The experts warn that US public health cuts are weakening surveillance and containment systems just as hundreds of cases emerge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside confirmed infections in neighbouring countries.
The outbreak involves theBundibugyo variant of Ebola, a rare strain with no specific cure or vaccine. According to health officials cited in reporting, the situation has escalated rapidly since April, prompting urgent monitoring from international health agencies. But scientists say the US, once central to outbreak response efforts, is now playing a much smaller role than in previous crises.
Ebola outbreaks in the region have historically triggered large-scale cooperation between local health workers, the World Health Organisation, and US-funded programmes designed to detect infections early and contain spread.
Current figures indicate at least 482 suspected Ebola cases and around 116 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since April, with additional cases reported in Uganda and concerns about possible spread into South Sudan.
The outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation, reflecting fears that transmission could continue for months if not brought under control.
According toThe Guardian, Kristian Andersen, a professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, said the scale of international support is no longer what it once was. He pointed to reduced investment in global health systems and warned that outbreaks become harder to control when early detection networks are weakened.
The strain involved, Bundibugyo Ebola, has appeared in only a small number of outbreaks in recent decades, but its behaviour in the current situation is still being studied by scientists working to map its spread.
These concerns come after big changes to the US public health and foreign aid systems. This includes the closure of the US Agency for International Development and the ending of several research projects. Thousands of health jobs were also cut, which experts say has left important gaps in systems that used to track and respond to outbreaks in other countries.
Matthew Kavanagh, who leads the Centre for Global Health Policy and Politics at Georgetown University, said the Democratic Republic of the Congo is especially at risk because it depends heavily on international support. He said the funding cuts were made quickly, leaving countries little time to adjust.
Source: International Business Times UK
