Ebola Outbreak and Delayed Detection by the U.S. || May 25, 2026
At least 50 are dead due to a new Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, and the U.S. was the last to hear about it. This is a glaring example of the breakdown in the U.S. public health and monitoring system.
Three programs have traditionally acted as layers of defense: the Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. All three have been gutted under the Trump administration, so early detection, disease tracking, and vaccine development have all been sidelined.
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Comments (41)
Trump is scary-DANGEROUS
It's impressive how incompetent this administration is
So you don’t expect the WHO to get off its ass and start doing something in the world or should we continue to fund transvestite circumcisions in Kenya with USAID?
"Political decisions have consequences." Indeed they do. For example, why was USAID funding a transgender clinic in India? The decision to do that--essentially engaging in cultural imperialism--and a host of similar things had the consequence of shutting down USAID.
Send RFK, Jr. to Congo now.
tell him he's immune to Ebola and he can show it to the entire world
Elections have consequences.
WHO is the designated lead but they have never had the resources the US has (until now) provided. It would require EU to add quite a bit more to they own deficit spending to step into the lurch, and building their own militaries is a higher priority right now.
It was the medical and logistical capabilities of the US military that provided the rapid mobilization of infrastructure and qualified medical professionals into the outbreak areas needed fight the last outbreak as the US is the only country on the planet with the capabilities to do so. So, what have the other 213 countries on the planet contributed to global health efforts? Why since the end of WW2, other countries and international organizations not developed this capability? Why always the US? I am confident that we will once again, come to the rescue and ask nothing in return. So Peter, lay of of the US guilt trip because the US is no longer are a member of WHO..... an action of their own making because they provided top cover to China for leaking the Covid virus from one of their labs, not telling the rest of the world, then blaming bats in a cave and a local Wohan market. Millions died.
The abruptness of the US departure combined with the uncertainty caused by the attendant caos has paralyzed basically all other potential actors that could try to step in to replace us. Given a handful (or four handfuls) of years those systems might be rebuilt, but we'll all suffer the consequences of the gap.
After RFK's sewer swim he should do an Ebola bath...
May RFK sleep with an anaconda
Perhaps y’all are overlooking the positive here: most people won’t know anything about this so they just won’t worry about it until they start bleeding. So much worry relieved.
I have followed PZ for years now and MAGAs have now decided to attack PZ’s warnings directly. So MAGAs: Just because you want to ignore facts and warnings as well as hear what happens when you gut the systems that have protected our American lifestyle, don’t smear your TDS bull s here and expect applause.
The US might not have been paying attention but in Australia the story has been playing out in the news cycle for some time. It seems to me that the problem is partly cultural with the burial practices of the local people. They perform certain rights with the body which entails touching the body which in turn means that the next person catches it. The medical staff has protection and try to prevent the bodies being taken but the family break into the facilities and in some cases set fire to them. Hence even the places where the sick can be treated are disappearing.
Ebola virus can be transmitted by air. In the discovery of the Reston Ebola Virus (in Reston VA.) several of the primates became infected from an infected source on the opposite side of the lab room they were in. At the time this was a mystery because of the distance involved; in the Covid epidemic the prevailing theory about the inability of viral air travel was eventually understood to be substantially incomplete: In a liquid droplet virus fall; outside of any droplet they float. Consider: All virus are incredibly light: A gram of virus is 1 billion virus^2. OF COURSE something that light can float from place to place in the air.
To give the administration a little credit, they did act quickly to ban travel to and from the affected countries. Which if memory serves, they did with Covid 19 and China. Fat lot of good that did. Ebola is a nasty disease and Obama had a plan in place to deal with it. That ended up in the shredder early in Trump's first term. Of course, his team will come up with a 'bigger, better plan'. Ebola has an incubation period of up to 3 weeks; infection acquired by contact with body secretions and fluids, or from fomites. Cases in the US would have to be treated in highly specialized units.
USAID was woke AF.
Define woke. I’ve seen Fox News calling the Dutch “woke” for changing where cruise ships come into Amsterdam to protect their city from excess tourists. So how do you define it?
should have closed the border and none of this would have happened, huh? there would be no trump, no RFK, etc.
Yep. It's running wild in Africa while Trump administration goes 🤷♂️🤷🤷♀️. The death toll is now around 230+ with over 800+ people infected in DRC. And the US media is barely discissing it. The only saving grace is low probability of mass infection as the virus does not transmit thru the air and requires bodily fluids exposure with 21 days incubation period. The fatality rate of Bundibugyo is 25-50% (low/moderate) compared to the Zaire strain of 60-90%.
The Trump administration has been an object lesson in why we should not trust the government to be responsible for anything unless there is absolutely no other way. That turns out to be legislation, law enforcement, courts, and national defense. Everything else should be be handled by NGOs or for-profit companies (e.g. insurance companies have a vested interest in NOT seeing an Ebola breakout in the US). These entities come and go based on whether they serve their purpose. Donald Trump and friends we are unfortunately stuck with. And as bad as they are, the backlash will quite possibly be worse. The US founding fathers predicted all of this: governments are not to be trusted and their power must be constrained. Ayn Rand expands on this theme in Atlas Shrugged and many essays. https://courses.aynrand.org/works/the-nature-of-government/
Ayn Rand created a cult of personality. My parents were members and I did a term paper on her because they still had (maybe have?) all of her Capitalist Manifesto publications. I had dozens of volumes to study. Every “ism” sounds good in theory when explained by its adherents. Capitalism has good points but in practice allows selfishness to be rewarded and people seen as machines. Just like any political system, it’s easy for elites to form who believe they are better than others and deserve to be rewarded and have special treatment. And “Atlas shrugged” sucked. “The Fountainhead” had some good parts, but “We the living” was actually a good book.
Another agency, agencies gutted … to reduce the debt, but the debt still grows and grows …hummmm
Perhaps if USAID did not divert US Tax dollars through the NGO's they financed to the Democratic Party, they would still be here. Fortunately, the USAID programs that were important to US foreign policy were absorbed into the Dept. of State, where they belong. As for WHO, perhaps if they did not provide top cover to China for the Covid virus, the US would still be a member. These are examples of the consequences for organizations with a mandate for the greater good of humanity when they become politicalized....... I'm sure the UN will be next.
US tax dollars were not diverted through NGO's to finance the Democratic Party. Please site a reputable source of this statement. Even the "liberal" Heritage Foundation agrees that allegation is false.
The economic rationale for spending a penny on prevention seems to elude ordinary financial genius...
The Trump administration has essentially been a low-level nuclear strike against the agencies of the United States and basically our ability to be a powerful centralized authority. This Ebola outbreak is bad, but let us not forget. RFK Junior is still promoting and supporting the measles outbreak, which is massive in the United States… I know I sound hyperbolic saying he’s pro-measles but when you have a septuagenarian who believes himself to be genetically superior to everyone because he abuses steroids not taking the measles outbreak seriously at a certain point, you have to think to yourself this eugenist piece of shit is actively trying to get Americans killed.
It’s been crystal clear since that moron RFKjr was nominated that POTUS just wants a large portion of our at-risk population to go away (AKA just die).
The GOLD Standard for kind of stuff has been the USA for decades. Being a GOLD Standard in the eyes of the world I'm surprised (NOT) that Trump and RFK Jr aren't all over it. Don't forget the intelligence folks, they should have been aware of something going on as well. Plenty of blame to share. Almost forget Elon............................
Elon Musk is looking dumber everyday
depending on who you ask
It's quite bad and escalating quickly. This is a significant Ebola outbreak (Bundibugyo strain) that started in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (mainly Ituri Province) in May 2026 and has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the WHO. Latest numbers (as of May 23, 2026) From CDC and other health agencies: DRC: ~746 suspected cases, 83 confirmed cases, ~176 suspected deaths, 9 confirmed deaths. Uganda: 5 confirmed cases, 1 death (all linked to travel from DRC). Numbers have been rising fast — earlier in mid-May there were only ~246 suspected cases and ~80 deaths. Suspected cases/deaths are much higher than lab-confirmed ones because testing and surveillance are limited in the region. Why it's concerning Bundibugyo virus strain: Less common than the Zaire strain. Historical case fatality rate is around 30-50%. No approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment exists for it (supportive care helps, but that's it). Rapid growth and geographic spread: Started in remote areas but reached bigger hubs like Bunia (DRC) and even Kampala, Uganda's capital. Confirmed in multiple DRC provinces (Ituri, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu). Challenging environment: Ongoing conflict, displacement, poor infrastructure, community mistrust, and cross-border movement are making containment very difficult. Response efforts are hampered. International response: WHO declared PHEIC on May 17. Risk is rated "very high" nationally in DRC, "high" regionally, and "low" globally for now. Comparison to past outbreaks This is already one of the larger recent outbreaks in terms of speed and scale for Bundibugyo, though it's still much smaller than the massive 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic (which had over 28,000 cases and 11,000+ deaths from the Zaire strain). It's the 17th Ebola outbreak in DRC since 1976. Bottom line: It's a serious and worrying situation on the ground in Central Africa, with real potential to worsen due to the conflict zone and lack of specific countermeasures. Global risk to places like Australia/Europe/US remains low for now, but health authorities are on alert for imported cases. The situation is developing fast. And before anyone starts to panic: Simple touching (like a handshake, brief skin-to-skin contact, or being near someone) does not transmit Ebola, including the current Bundibugyo strain. How Ebola Actually Spreads It requires direct contact with bodily fluids (blood, vomit, diarrhea, saliva, sweat, urine, semen, etc.) from a symptomatic person or someone who has died from the disease. The virus must enter your body through: Broken skin (cuts, abrasions, eczema) Mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) What "Simple Touching" Means in Practice Casual contact like shaking hands, hugging, sitting next to, or talking to someone with Ebola → Very low to no risk if their skin is intact and no fluids are involved. Touching dry, intact skin of a sick person → Not considered a transmission route. Touching contaminated objects (bedding, clothes, surfaces) that have fresh bodily fluids on them → Risky if you then touch your face or have cuts.
Some poorly informed comments. Under the current regime controlling what is left of the United States of America. A disease like Ebola could arrive, due to complete disinterest of all things intelegent by the regime.
Yeah, but we're saving money though right?
But... hantavirus! Thanks for the breakdown about a disease that is actually a concern.
US news has been talking about it for a while now. I believe first mention i saw was around a dozen dead. Seems similar to history of the past.
I get that USA gutter these agencies but are you really saying that no other countries detected this? To me, EU should have some equivalent organizations. It involves lots of degreed people spending lots of government money. That is the EU way.
Yeah, not a good look for US capabilities, but why is the US the only country that is expected to provide advanced warning of outbreaks in Africa?
Soooo.. I should stop licking all the door knobs or continue to lick all the door knobs?
Yes.