Ebola shows world unprepared for pandemic, former US CDC head says

WASHINGTON – The world is not “well prepared” for the next pandemic, Tom Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, citing the current response to the Ebola outbreak and cuts to US public health efforts.

“This Ebola outbreak is not going to cause a pandemic, it’s not going to cause a significant risk to large numbers of Americans,” Frieden, the CEO of Resolve to Save Lives Inc, said on Bloomberg This Weekend.

“It’s a stress test, and it’s a stress test the world is not doing well at. I would say so far we’re failing, and that bodes ill for the future.”

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on May 28 there are 1,077 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is spreading quickly.

Partial border closures are in place between Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, which has made coordinating relief and aid more difficult.

African officials said earlier this week they have only received pledges meeting a little over half of the US$500 million (S$638.40 million) needed to fight the outbreak. 

In the past, the US has provided air transport for relief efforts, facilitating a quicker response.

The US’ global public health presence has been reduced since President Donald Trump took office. 

Frieden served as CDC director during the Obama administration.

He criticised recent changes to the US’s public health efforts, including the Trump administration’s decision to stop paying dues to the World Health Organisation, cut more than 3,000 jobs at the CDC and push out some of the agency’s senior leadership. 

“Our defences are down,” Frieden said. “The WHO needs to be stronger. The CDC needs to be robust.” BLOOMBERG