This is what happens when you defund Ebola prevention

Key Points:

• The recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO, with over 220 deaths and 900 suspected cases, making it the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record.
• The outbreak has spread rapidly due to the difficult-to-diagnose Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, ongoing conflict in the affected regions, and significant cuts to US foreign aid that weakened Ebola detection and response systems.
• US funding for Congo's health programs dropped drastically from $33 million to $10 million last year, and aid from USAID fell from nearly $1.2 billion to $693 million, delaying virus identification and limiting medical resources needed to control the outbreak.
• Although the US has recently pledged $23 million in emergency aid and increased CDC involvement, experts warn that these efforts may be insufficient to reverse the damage caused by prior funding cuts and the US withdrawal from global health initiatives.
• Researchers are working on developing a new vaccine, but it will take months to deploy, while health workers continue to struggle against a virus spreading faster than ever, with risks of it reaching neighboring countries soon.