The ongoing Ebola crisis is escalating quickly, already ranked the third largest outbreak in history — and experts say erosions of U.S. health policy have fueled the crisis. When Health and Human Services pleaded for volunteers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to screen for Ebola at airports, they highlighted what experts say is a growing problem. The Trump administration’s pullback from public health is rippling across the globe in ways that don’t just affect those overseas.
On Wednesday, the CDC issued an “urgent request” to its workers to help screen for Ebola at U.S. airports. The request came on the tail of the CDC restricting travel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan earlier in the month as the outbreak worsens. So far, more than 1,000 cases have been reported, with 223 deaths, though only about 125 confirmed cases and 17 confirmed deaths, given that the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has impacted accurate data collection. On average, Ebola is about 50% fatal, which is far more deadly than flu or COVID-19. There is no cure or vaccine for this specific strain of Ebola, the Bundibugyo virus.
