The Ebola crisis in East Africa is worsening, with confirmed cases in major cities like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Public health experts and workers note the response has suffered due to limited U.S. involvement, a country that had previously led during major outbreaks.
The United States previously supported strong disease surveillance networks across the region and had emergency teams ready for public health crises such as Ebola. This support halted after the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development last year. Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lost many experts, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who could have aided in controlling the epidemic.
Epidemiologists who have fought previous Ebola outbreaks point out the current situation became internationally recognized weeks or possibly months after its start, with the virus already spreading across borders. They attribute the delayed response to weakened surveillance capabilities.
American authorities only became aware of the outbreak last Thursday, nine days after the World Health Organization and almost a month after the first reported death. This delay in response is partly due to issues in transporting samples to the national lab in Kinshasa, Congo, at incorrect temperatures, a task once managed by U.S.A.I.D.
As of Wednesday, the World Health Organization reports 600 infections and 139 deaths, a sharp increase from recent counts. These figures are expected to rise as contact tracing and testing efforts expand, indicating the virus’s widespread presence.
Infections have been confirmed in several cities, including Goma, with over a million residents near the Rwandan border, Bunia, housing around 800,000 people, and Kampala, Uganda’s capital, with a population of 1.9 million. These reports suggest a significant spread, with Goma about 350 miles from the initial outbreak region.