Experts say the USAID shutdown makes the virus harder to contain

The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in central Africa has been exacerbated by cuts in foreign aid to the US and the West, experts say, a year after Washington cut its international aid operations.

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

The current outbreak is the 17th that the DRC has suffered. With more than 1,400 confirmed cases so far, it is the third largest outbreak in history, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, there are no known cases reported in the US, but one case has been confirmed in France. The latest data from the CDC shows that there have been 440 deaths from the virus.

At the beginning of the disease, the International Rescue Committee – a non-governmental organization focused on humanitarian aid, relief, and development – warned that the current outbreak could become the worst in history without urgent intervention.

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

“Increasing conflicts and cuts in international aid funding have eroded protections at an inopportune time,” Kitchen said. “Dangers are mounting and resources are shrinking; those are the grim statistics facing global aid today.”

The US Agency for International Development was officially shut down last July, with most of its programs being phased out and the remaining small portion being absorbed into the US State Department. The move has drawn criticism from former presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush, as well as billionaire Bill Gates.

USAID’s demise came as part of cuts to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an interim agency created by President Donald Trump shortly after returning to the White House. Billionaire businessman, Elon Musk, has overseen DOGE operations, and recently defended the decision to cut off USAID following allegations that it contributed to child deaths.

DOGE was officially closed on July 4, 2026.

Recent cuts to foreign aid programs are not unique to the US, however. Last year, the charity Oxfam noted that the G7 countries, which account for about 75% of all official development aid, are set to reduce their aid spending by 28% in 2026 compared to 2024 levels.

According to an analysis recently published by researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, France’s foreign aid will drop by almost a third from 2023. Germany’s will fall by more than 36%, while the UK is down 45% from recent highs.

Epidemiologist Angela Rasmussen is the scientific chair of the activist group Save America Movement – a non-partisan organization whose mission is to protect “American values” including the constitution, public health, the economy and the position of the United States as a world leader.

He told CNBC in an email that cuts in foreign aid have “made worse” the Ebola crisis in central Africa. The reduction of critical infrastructure previously funded by USAID has led to increased violence and reduced capacity in the region where the outbreak is occurring, he explained.

In early 2025, war broke out between the Congolese authorities and groups led by the rebel group M23. It culminated in the capture of Goma, an important city on the border with Rwanda, which sparked political violence across the country. Groups affiliated with the Islamic State have also attacked eastern DRC, launching missile attacks and fighting between M23, Rwandan troops, Congolese troops, and other militias that have become commonplace in the region, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

CfR says the situation in the DRC is one of the world’s biggest and deadliest disasters, with 1 million Congolese seeking refuge abroad and 21 million inside the country in urgent need of assistance, including medical aid and supplies.

“The ongoing civil war and the lack of well-developed transportation networks have led to reduced mobility and these funding cuts are greatly reducing the trust of health care workers, making it difficult and in some cases dangerous to track or treat Ebola patients,” Rasmussen told CNBC.

“Dispatch cannot go through and existing medical supplies funded by USAID (basic items such as gloves, PPE, and body bags) are not reaching the most affected areas in Ituri province.”

Rasmussen added that the loss of USAID-funded cold storage infrastructure meant that swab samples were destroyed during transport to biomedical testing facilities, contributing to delays in the detection of the virus.

“Certification cases are still lacking due to the loss of USAID funds that have made the health system of needs, resources, resources and personnel to use them,” he said.

Jade Le, an infectious disease specialist and Head of Infectious Diseases at Access TeleCare, also told CNBC that cuts in foreign aid have “absolutely” made the Ebola outbreak harder to contain. He said USAID has been heavily involved in building health infrastructure in countries like the DRC, from training health workers to recognize the signs and symptoms of diseases like Ebola, providing testing equipment and personal protective equipment, and assisting with transporting samples to laboratories equipped to test and identify the Ebola virus.

“Through the disbanding of USAID, funding cuts and withdrawals from the WHO, staff reductions at the CDC, and reductions in health aid to the DRC, the Trump administration has contributed to the delay in detection and lack of control of this current outbreak,” he said in an email.

CNBC contacted the US government for comment on the impact of the foreign aid cuts.

“The United States was involved early in outbreaks like this, when Epidemic Intelligence Service officials were sent to investigate the outbreak before it quickly spread, identify the cause, classify patients appropriately and follow up to ensure control of the outbreak,” Le said.

“Currently, American public health and medical professionals are unfortunately coordinated much later than in previous outbreaks and the release of US funds to help control this outbreak will not be as effective as if there had been an ongoing USAID program.”