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In a stark revelation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called out the World Health Organization (WHO) for its delayed response to the ongoing Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. His remarks, made during a press briefing at the US embassy in Rome on 8 May 2026, come amid a backdrop of significant public health cuts in the United States, raising questions about the country’s readiness to confront emerging infectious diseases.
A Lethal Lag in Response
Rubio did not hold back when discussing the WHO’s handling of the outbreak, stating that the organisation had been “a little late” in identifying the deadly situation that has already claimed at least 131 lives in the DRC. “The lead is obviously going to be the CDC and the World Health Organization, which was a little late to identify this thing unfortunately,” he told reporters.
His comments arrive as the United States grapples with the repercussions of its withdrawal from the WHO, a controversial decision made by former President Donald Trump shortly after his return to office last year. Experts have warned that this departure has not only weakened the global health response but has also resulted in the loss of nearly 2,000 jobs from the organisation’s workforce of roughly 9,400, a blow to its operational capabilities.
The Struggle for Support
In the wake of these challenges, the US has pledged approximately $13 million in aid to combat the Ebola outbreak, aiming to establish around 50 clinics in the beleaguered DRC. However, Rubio acknowledged the daunting logistical hurdles, as many of these clinics will be situated in remote, war-torn areas. “It’s a little tough to get to because it’s in a rural area and a hard-to-get-to place in a war-torn country, unfortunately,” he remarked. “We’re going to lean into that pretty heavy.”
The urgency of the situation has been underscored by the WHO’s announcement categorising the outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern.” As regional borders remain porous, the agency warned that countries sharing land borders with the DRC are at high risk of further transmission due to population mobility and ongoing epidemiological uncertainties.
Criticism of the Critique
Despite the Secretary’s pointed remarks, some experts have come to the WHO’s defence. Gigi Gronvall, a renowned immunologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, argued that blaming the organisation for its response is misguided. “They are operating with limited resources in a difficult setting with many security challenges,” she stated. Gronvall further emphasised the national security implications of the US’s diminished public health infrastructure, noting that the country is now less equipped to handle infectious disease threats than it was at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Echoing this sentiment, Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiology professor at Brown School of Public Health, highlighted the concerning trend of US health agencies being sidelined. “The CDC first learned of the outbreak when it was publicly confirmed, despite the fact that there’d been rumours of an outbreak for weeks,” she said, lamenting the departure from a historically proactive stance in global health crises.
Ongoing Challenges and Public Health Cuts
The WHO’s warnings come as the US health sector faces severe budget cuts, with the Department of Health and Human Services recently announcing plans to eliminate numerous positions across key agencies, including the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. These layoffs follow a previous commitment by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reduce the department’s workforce by 10,000 jobs, raising alarms about the country’s preparedness for future health emergencies.
Public health experts have voiced concerns that the ongoing erosion of the nation’s health infrastructure, compounded by deep political divisions and rampant misinformation, could severely undermine the public’s willingness to adhere to health guidelines in the face of an outbreak.
Why it Matters
The unfolding situation in DRC and Uganda serves as a grim reminder of the fragility of global health systems and the dire consequences of political decisions on public health readiness. As the US grapples with its internal challenges, the world watches closely, aware that the ripple effects of these policies could extend far beyond national borders, potentially setting the stage for the next pandemic. The call for a robust and coordinated international response has never been more urgent, as lives hang in the balance and the spectre of Ebola looms large.
