Ebola Outbreak and Delayed Detection by the U.S.

Peter Zeihan 4 min

Political decisions have consequences. And one of these means that Ebola may be coming to a town near you.

Chapters

  1. 0:00

    Introduction to the Outbreak

    A new Ebola outbreak in Central Africa has killed at least 50 people but received little U.S. attention.

  2. 0:19

    The Three-Line Defense System

    A three-line system of defense exists for new infectious diseases in the United States. USAID was dismantled and closed by the Trump administration last year, so we didn't get any advance warning. The CDC has been gutted under new leadership and is basically not present in most parts of the world. BARDA has been gutted in funding because vaccines are considered bad. The sequencing process has only just started, leaving the U.S. unaware if the strain changes.

  3. 2:36

    Nature of the New Strain

    Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever spread by bodily fluid contact rather than by respiration. Political decisions have consequences. And one of these means that Ebola may be coming to a town near you.

Key points

  • 0:19

    There's kind of a three-line system of defense when it comes to new infectious diseases in the United States.

  • 0:19

    USAID was dismantled and closed by the Trump administration last year, so we didn't get any advance warning.

  • 0:19

    It's been gutted, and under new leadership... it's basically not present in most parts of the world.

  • 0:19

    BARDA's basically been gutted in funding as well because RFK has basically decided that vaccines are bad.

  • 2:36

    It is spread by bodily fluid contact rather than by respiration.

  • 0:19

    We're finding out about this late. We're definitely on the back foot, and only now is the sequencing process starting.

  • 2:36

    It does appear at the moment that this new strain... is no different from normal Ebola in that it is spread by bodily fluid contact rather than by respiration.

  • 3:44

    We're now in a situation basically where if it does change, we won't know until it's here.

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