1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 2: I'm Caroline Hepke, and this is his why when we 3 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 2: take one big story and explain it in just a 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 2: few minutes with our experts here at Bloomberg, This ebola 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 2: outbreak is not going to cause a pandemic. 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 3: It's not going to cause a significant risk to large 7 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 3: numbers of Americans. 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: It's a stress test. 9 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 3: The African CDC was put there just for this type 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 3: of outbreak, and so we have to ask ourselves why 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,919 Speaker 3: our institutions that we all funded didn't respond as rapidly 12 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 3: as they needed to. We care about ebola. We don't 13 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 3: want anyone dying or being affected by ebola. 14 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 2: But our number one priority will always be making sure 15 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 2: it doesn't come for the United States. 16 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 3: That's our number one obligation. 17 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 2: The US was the single largest aid donor in the 18 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 2: world in twenty twenty four, but in twenty twenty five 19 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 2: over eighty percent of programs from the US Agency for 20 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:08,759 Speaker 2: International Development, or USAID, where some sixty billion dollars, were terminated. 21 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 2: In President Trump's second term, the agency was responsible for 22 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 2: administering humanitarian aid worldwide. In January this year, the US 23 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 2: withdrew from the World Health Organization. Now there is a 24 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 2: growing ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. 25 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 2: The rare strain that is spreading has no vaccine or 26 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:35,839 Speaker 2: qure and fatality rates as high as ninety percent. Meanwhile, 27 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 2: in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 28 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 2: has cut about a quarter of its staff. The Office 29 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 2: for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and other health authorities have 30 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: been newted, and the consequences of sudden and dramatic US 31 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 2: cuts may now be emerging. Joining me to discuss is 32 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 2: Bloomberg's health reporter Jessica Nix. You can see this from 33 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 2: two perspectives, the consequences in Africa and the potential impact 34 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 2: on Americans. So I want to start by looking at 35 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 2: the epicenter of the ebola outbreak. There have been numerous 36 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 2: previous outbreaks in this remote and really war ravaged region before. 37 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: What has changed this is a really rare strain of ebola. 38 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: It has no vaccine, it has no treatment, which is 39 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: making it more difficult to be able to trace and 40 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: to be able to treat, and to be able to 41 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: contact trace too. There's a lot happening in this area. 42 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: That is also making it difficult from the conflicts that 43 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: have been going on the geography, there's no US AID 44 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: on the ground. The US International Agency for International Development 45 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: has been dismantled in the past year as well, so 46 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: we're losing a lot of those networks that would have 47 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: been able to pick up on this strain. There's also 48 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: a lot of misinformation and mistrust in health workers on 49 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: the ground. A lot of these people don't trust the 50 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: new people coming in to be able to contact, trace, 51 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: to be able to talk with them about safe burial practices, 52 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: to be able to talk with them about potential treatment 53 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: options and where to go if they do get sick. 54 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: So again, it's a lot of things happening that is 55 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: making it very difficult to trace the virus, to figure 56 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: out who the close contacts are, and to be able 57 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: to treat the virus. 58 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 2: And global health authorities are really very worried about this outbreak. 59 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 2: So there's a lot being said about it. Is it 60 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 2: down to the US's America First policies? The Trump administration 61 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 2: is obviously rejected blame. They don't see foreign aid as 62 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 2: delivering for US taxpayers. Is it about those policies that 63 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 2: is seeing what is happening on the ground, perhaps turning 64 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 2: out worse than in previous episodes of ebola. 65 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: It's a convergence of a lot of factors. Under the 66 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: second Trump administration, we have pulled back a lot of 67 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: Global aid funding, including a lot of funding directly to 68 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: the Congo. Other countries have been followed and have also 69 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: pulled back their funding for Global Health Aid, like the UK, 70 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: like in Germany as well. It doesn't always come down 71 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: to just the funding. We also have seen that these 72 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: formal and informal networks that were on the ground as 73 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 1: well were not able to be communicating and picking up 74 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: on the strain that is happening. Health experts and officials 75 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: who used to work with a lot of these networks 76 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: have said that without them, this has gotten worse. Without 77 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: those that help on the ground. However, the US has 78 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: pulled some funding towards the outbreak as we've seen it progress. 79 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: In this past month, the US has poured about one 80 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,599 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty two million into the Congo and into Uganda, 81 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: including about fifty million to help build about fifty clinics 82 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 1: between both of the countries. So what the country has 83 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: been doing, what the US has been doing is pour 84 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,840 Speaker 1: some money into the area. However, without those networks on 85 00:04:57,880 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: the ground, a lot of health officials say that this 86 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: it's likely been spreading for a lot longer. 87 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 2: Amid this sort of global pull back in aid spending, 88 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 2: as you say, something mirrored in other countries. So what 89 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 2: about at home in the US. What has the Trump 90 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 2: administration done in terms of research and pandemic preparedness in 91 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 2: as I say, this second Trump term. 92 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: Under the second Trump administration, we've seen a retreat from 93 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 1: the pandemic reparedness systems that we built up during the 94 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: COVID pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which 95 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: tracks outbreaks domestically and coordinates with the WHO, the World 96 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: Health Organization, has seen about a quarter of its staff 97 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: leave because of reductions and force from career scientists just quitting. 98 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: We've also seen the White House dismantle the Office of 99 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The National Security Council's Biodirectorate, which 100 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: would coordinate between agencies during a global health outbreak, doesn't 101 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 1: have a leader anymore. So we're miss a lot of 102 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: the key positions and leadership that would be handling an 103 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: outbreak like this. We've also seen reductions and funding for 104 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: mRNA vaccine treatments. We've seen a pullback from the federal 105 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 1: vaccine infrastructure under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior, and 106 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: a change in how we approve new new vaccines and treatments. 107 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 2: CHUMP policies have also focused when it comes to ebola, 108 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 2: on containment for Americans, on screening, and restricting travel from 109 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 2: affected areas. Again, this is something that can end up 110 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 2: being quite emotive. Does that policy work in health terms? 111 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: You're exactly right. The Trump administration's strategy with this ebola 112 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: outbreak is to keep it out of the US. We 113 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: saw with an American who tested positive in the Congo. 114 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: He was sent to Germany for treatment, along with his 115 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,559 Speaker 1: four children who were exposed and his wife. The US 116 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 1: has also established a facility in Kenya to be able 117 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: to send Americans who were exposed or potentially positive for 118 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: ebola for quarantine and treatment, and then send those people 119 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: who were positive elsewhere to Europe rather than coming back 120 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: to the US, where we have a large network of 121 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: biocontainment units and quarantine units that have been built up 122 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: since the twenty fourteen ebola outbreak In COVID. During the 123 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: beginning of the pandemic, the US also adopted this stance 124 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: of we don't want the disease at our borders, and 125 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: we saw that that didn't necessarily work to keep COVID 126 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: out of the US. These strategies, health experts say are 127 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: helpful when you're trying to deal with a disease outbreak 128 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: by keeping it outside of the borders. However, it has 129 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: to be working in tandem with other strategies on the 130 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: ground where the outbreak epicenter is happening. Ebola is unlikely 131 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: to turn in to another pandemic like we saw with COVID. However, 132 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: infectious diseases don't know borders. We live in a very 133 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: interconnected world. We are traveling constantly, and infectious disease can 134 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: hop on a plane just as easily as a person can. 135 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 1: These days, we're also seeing this is a huge summer 136 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: for the US. The World Cup is happening here in 137 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: North America, and with that travel, with the NBA Finals 138 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: going on right now too, a lot of people are 139 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: coming in and with it. Not only could we see 140 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: any bowler case, but we could also see more measles cases, 141 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: more flu cases too. 142 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 2: Jessica, Thank you so much for being with us. That 143 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 2: is Bloomberg Health reporter Jessica Nigs. For more explanations like 144 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 2: this one from our team of three thousand journalists and 145 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 2: analysts around the world, go to Bloomberg dot com slash explainers. 146 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,600 Speaker 2: I'm Caroline Hepkea, and this is his why. We'll be 147 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 2: back next week with more. Thanks for listening.