A Lethal Mystery Illness Spread in Congo. USAID Cuts Have Slowed the Response
2 min read
Summary
According to experts, the Trump administration’s slashing of foreign aid, including its dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is having detrimental impacts around the world, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an unidentified illness with Ebola-like symptoms has killed over 60 people and sickened more than a thousand.
The illness is occurring at the same time as an Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Uganda and increasing political violence within the DRC, and experts say the dismantling of USAID has hindered the response to the unidentified disease, leading to delays in investigations and containment efforts regarding other disease outbreaks.
Some experts believe the unidentified illness could be mass poisoning via contaminated water, while others think it could be a respiratory infection combined with malaria.
Furthermore, the US Congress appropriated $795m for malaria control in 2024, most of which was intended for sub-Saharan Africa, but the majority of this aid has also been dismantled, placing populations at increased risk of malaria outbreaks and deaths.
Experts warn that Covid-19 demonstrated the interconnectedness of global health, and outbreaks in other countries can quickly become outbreaks in the US, highlighting the importance of US aid initiatives.
