Experts say USAID closure made virus harder to contain

An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in central Africa has been exacerbated by cuts to U.S. and Western foreign support, experts say, a year after Washington slashed its international aid operations.

In May, authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda declared outbreaks after lab tests detected the spread of Bundibugyo virus, which causes a type of Ebola disease. Transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids, wild animals and contaminated objects or meat, Ebola is a rare but serious illness that has a fatality rate of around 50%.

The current outbreak is the 17th that the DRC has suffered. With more than 1,400 cases confirmed to date, it is the third-largest outbreak on record, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, no known cases have been reported in the U.S., but one case has been confirmed in France. The CDC’s latest data shows there have been 440 confirmed deaths from the virus.

Near the beginning of the outbreak, the International Rescue Committee – a global nongovernment organization focused on humanitarian aid, relief, and development – warned that the current outbreak could become the deadliest on record without urgent intervention.

“The warning signs are flashing red,” Bob Kitchen, vice president of emergencies for the IRC, said in a statement, before noting that the DRC is confronting the current outbreak “more fragile and less prepared” than it had been during the 2018-2020 outbreak that killed more than 2,000 people.

“Increased conflict and cuts to global aid funding have dismantled defenses at exactly the wrong moment,” Kitchen said. “The risks are growing and the resources are shrinking; that is the brutal arithmetic facing global aid today.”

The U.S. Agency for International Development officially closed last July, with the majority of its programs abolished and a small remainder absorbed into the U.S. State Department. The move attracted criticism from former presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush, as well as billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.

USAID’s demise came as part of the cuts enacted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organization set up by President Donald Trump shortly after his return to the White House. Trillionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk initially oversaw DOGE’s operations, and recently defended decisions on cutting USAID following claims that it had contributed to the deaths of children.

DOGE officially shuttered on July 4, 2026.