We Are Not Ready for the Next Pandemic

Ebola is testing the America First approach to global health — and the results are grim.

By Roberto Valadéz

The current Ebola outbreak in East Africa represents a critical test of the America First approach to global health security — and it is already failing.

Initial assessments across several vital metrics, including intelligence gathering, preventative capacity, and operational speed, reflect catastrophic inadequacies in emergency response. As infection rates mount across national borders and the death toll rises, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the established international health architecture has compromised our collective security and isolated the United States from the networks necessary to survive the next global pandemic.

According to The New York Times, the U.S. government did not learn of the outbreak until nine days after the World Health Organization (WHO) had been alerted, and nearly a month after the first person died from the virus. This intelligence failure was compounded by a logistical breakdown: early patient samples were transported to a laboratory at the wrong temperature. This botched transport of samples delayed confirmation of a highly contagious and rare strain of Ebola as it continued to spread unchecked — a critical failure in handling biological samples that previously would have been overseen by well-equipped USAID personnel on the ground.

Historically, U.S.-funded initiatives put technical experts directly into local health systems. These first responders provided data analysis, oversaw the quality of medical testing, and coordinated response efforts with in-country partners. As a direct consequence of cuts to aid programs, major gaps now exist in these frontline response networks. Even more troubling, reports indicate that frontline care workers in Ebola-affected East Africa are operating without proper gear including fluid resistant coveralls, face shields and surgical hoods — all of which the U.S. would have previously provided.

Though the vast majority of the more than 1000 suspected Ebola cases and 200 suspected deaths are currently within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the outbreak is not solely an “African problem.” An American doctor has already tested positive for the virus, and at least six other Americans have suffered high-risk exposures in the DRC. Ethical concerns have arisen over the decision to not repatriate these citizens to state-of-the-art facilities in the U.S., as in past crises. Instead, the U.S. government has chosen to route them to facilities abroad — and plans to send all future potential cases to seek treatment in Kenya, where facilities are not likely to equal the level of sophistication as the specialized units in the U.S.

Meanwhile, all incoming American travelers from the affected region are being rerouted through three domestic airports for emergency screening — a sobering reminder that in a hyper-connected world, a pathogen circulating a continent away is only a single flight from our own backyards.

When the Trump Administration withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO) and drastically scaled back international health funding in dismantling USAID, Americans were promised a more streamlined, efficient system — one that would protect American interests, free from what the Administration perceived as the burden of global bureaucracies. Instead, the U.S. has hobbled both global operations and America’s own preparedness by withdrawing highly trained specialists from the forums where real-time disease data is collected and analyzed.

This operational shortfall is mirrored by widespread vacancies across the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who, alongside USAID, also have historically provided on-the-ground support and expertise during health crises. The CDC’s country office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has several vacant positions, including the deputy director of the global health protection program. Domestically, the CDC has been gutted of nearly 700 employees, including the head of the division that oversees Ebola. At the CDC’s Global Health Center, hundreds of positions have been lost, including among the roster of specialists who worked alongside African health ministries to suppress local outbreaks before they could spread.

At the federal level, key leadership roles established by Congress to oversee pandemic readiness also sit empty, including the position of global health security coordinator, tasked with orchestrating responses to health emergencies. Also unstaffed is The White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. This hollowed-out infrastructure both at home and abroad does little to instill confidence that America is prioritizing the health of its citizens.

With the outbreak projected to worsen across a region marked by conflict, porous borders, and vulnerable communities, the costs of political delays will only compound. Keeping Americans safe requires recognizing that domestic health is inextricably linked to global stability. We must actively resource our global networks to tackle crises wherever they may occur, or we will inevitably be forced to confront them at home.

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Roberto Valadéz is the former director of communications and special initiatives for the United Nations Ambassador for Global Health, where he led high-stakes global campaigns, including the office’s work on COVID-19. As the founder of True You, he now equips underestimated C-suite leaders with the tools to level up their leadership and amplify their impact by harnessing their authenticity.