The swift reduction of foreign aid by the United States is having significant repercussions globally, notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An unidentified illness exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms has devastated several villages, resulting in over 60 fatalities and affecting more than a thousand individuals. This outbreak coincides with an ongoing Ebola crisis in neighboring Uganda and rising political unrest within the DRC.
Experts indicate that the recent overhaul of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency by Elon Musk, has hindered the response efforts to this mysterious disease, delaying critical investigations and containment measures for further outbreaks.
“Medical personnel across the Uganda–DRC border have lost their jobs. Military presence is pervasive. The laboratory established with US funding to address zoonotic diseases remains inactive,” states Tim Allen, a tropical disease control expert and professor at the London School of Economics, currently present at the border area between Uganda and the DRC.
Nidhi Bouri, who previously held the position of deputy assistant administrator for global health at USAID during the Biden administration and led efforts in disease preparedness and response, asserts that the aid reductions have resulted in a gap in on-the-ground action. “We lack the necessary in-country support,” she notes. Historically, USAID played a crucial role in establishing infrastructure and providing support for disease surveillance and prevention, working collaboratively with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vital tasks. “Once a pathogen was recognized, USAID could rapidly establish methods to prevent further transmission,” Bouri elaborates. The abrupt dismantling of USAID under the Trump administration has left a void that other agencies may find challenging to entirely bridge.
The US State Department did not respond to requests for comments. “The CDC is closely monitoring the situation and liaising with DRC officials to determine what assistance the agency can provide,” commented CDC spokesperson Melissa Dibble.
Though the illness in the DRC remains officially unidentified, there are emerging conflicting theories regarding its origins. The World Health Organization has suggested that this unidentified illness might actually be the result of mass poisoning rather than a viral infection, with contaminated water thought to be a probable cause. Alternatively, if it is viral, it may not be unprecedented; last year, a similar outbreak in the DRC was revealed to involve respiratory infections coupled with malaria. Local health officials, including experts at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hypothesize that a similar situation might be occurring again.
For 2024, the United States Congress allocated $795 million for malaria control, predominantly designated for sub-Saharan Africa, which bears the brunt of global malaria cases. Nevertheless, DOGE orchestrated the rapid dismantling of most of this assistance. “Discontinuing US programs that provide prevention and treatment for malaria will precipitate outbreaks and lead to a considerable rise in fatalities,” stated Martin Edlund, CEO of the nonprofit organization Malaria No More. “New modeling indicates that a year of interruptions could result in nearly 15 million additional malaria cases and approximately 107,000 more deaths.”
