Experts say foreign aid cuts worsened central Africa Ebola outbreak as DRC cases top 1,400

According to CNBC, experts said cuts to U.S. and Western foreign support have worsened a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak declared in May in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the DRC’s current outbreak is its 17th, with more than 1,400 confirmed cases and 440 confirmed deaths, making it the third-largest outbreak on record; one case has been confirmed in France and none have been reported in the U.S. The U.S. Agency for International Development officially closed last July, with most programs abolished and a small remainder absorbed into the U.S. State Department, while the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) later shuttered on July 4, 2026. Virologist Angela Rasmussen and Access TeleCare infectious disease chief Jade Le told CNBC the loss of USAID-funded infrastructure and supplies, along with broader reductions in U.S. public health support, contributed to delays in detection and made containment efforts such as contact tracing and treatment more difficult.