一种罕见的 Bundibugyo 病毒株埃博拉疫情已蔓延至刚果民主共和国和乌干达的大片地区，延伸约 788 公里（490 英里）。截至 6 月 2 日，已报告了 470 多例病例和至少 61 例死亡，这让人联想到 2014 至 2016 年感染了 28,000 多人并导致 11,000 多人死亡的疫情。Jeremy Konyndyk 警告称，该疫情具有前所未有的势头。由于 Ituri 省有三分之一（33%）的人认为该病毒并不真实存在，防疫工作受到阻碍，这意味着卫生工作者每天仅能追踪 1,600 名接触者中的五分之一（20%）。
由于资金削减，应对系统已经崩溃。在 Elon Musk 的政府效率部门推动下，美国将全球开发援助减少了 57%，暂停了 2.45 亿美元的 Strides 倡议并削减了 85% 的 USAID 项目。国际救援委员会关闭了其在刚果 60% 的医疗站点，使疫情中心 Bunia 仅剩五分之二（40%）。该地区超过 50% 的医疗机构已关闭，剩余站点中有 85% 缺乏药物，且 40% 的工作人员已离职。尽管美国宣布为 50 家诊所提供 1.6 亿美元的援助，但协调工作依然破裂。
全球和国内的应对架构正在步履维艰。在美国对世界卫生组织监测资金削减 3,500 万美元后，病原体追踪网络被削弱。在国内，CDC 部署了 100 名工作人员来管理埃博拉疫情，但在过去一年中，其 25% 的员工已经流失。在卫生部长 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 的领导下，像 Daniel Jernigan 这样的前官员指出，领导层的离职削弱了 CDC。该政府还拆除了关键的流行病研究部门，使国家在应对自 2025 年 1 月以来已感染 4,200 多名美国人的麻疹疫情时显得脆弱。
An Ebola outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain has spread across a swath of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda stretching about 788 kilometers (490 miles). As of June 2, over 470 cases and at least 61 deaths have been reported, reminiscent of the 2014-16 epidemic that infected over 28,000 people and killed over 11,000. Jeremy Konyndyk warned that the outbreak has unprecedented momentum. Containment is hindered because 1 in 3 (33%) people in Ituri province believe the virus is not real, meaning health workers track only 1 in 5 (20%) of the 1,600 contacts daily.
The response system has collapsed due to funding cuts. Under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the United States reduced global development aid by 57%, halting the $245 million Strides Initiative and cutting 85% of USAID programs. The International Rescue Committee closed 60% of its Congolese health sites, leaving only 2 out of 5 (40%) in Bunia. Over 50% of regional health facilities have closed, 85% of remaining sites lack drugs, and 40% of staff have left. While the US announced $160 million in assistance for 50 clinics, coordination is fractured.
The global and domestic response architecture is faltering. Following a $35 million US funding cut to World Health Organization surveillance, pathogen networks are weakened. Domestically, the CDC deployed 100 staff to manage Ebola, but 25% of its workforce has departed over the past year. Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former officials like Daniel Jernigan note that leadership departures have weakened the CDC. The administration also dismantled key pandemic research divisions, leaving the nation vulnerable while battling a measles epidemic that has infected over 4,200 Americans since January 2025.