Doctor says this Ebola outbreak is different because “we’re so far behind”

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]The World Health Organization says there are approximately 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and they are investigating 223 suspected deaths. Uganda has also reported cases and the World Health Organization gave an update on the virus in Geneva today. An official with the agency's health emergencies program warned that based on previous outbreaks of the specific Ebola strain, the fatality rate could go up as much as 50%.

[00:00:32]>> From previous outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease, the lethality, that is the number of people who died among people who were confirmed for the infection, ranges between 30 to 50%.

[00:00:47]Uh it's huge.

[00:00:50]It means like up to five out of 10 people are likely to die.

[00:00:56]>> Joining us now is Dr. Tom Frieden. He is the president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. He was also the head of the CDC during the Ebola outbreak of 2014. Dr. Frieden, thank you for being with us.

[00:01:08]Can you remind our viewers on the characteristics of Ebola? I mean, this outbreak is has 10 times the number of cases than previous outbreaks.

[00:01:16]Why is it? Is this strain more contagious or more rare?

[00:01:21]>> Liz, nothing we've seen about this strain suggests that it's more contagious, easier to catch. What is different is that we're so far behind.

[00:01:30]The virus has a running head start. By the time the 2014 to 2016 epidemic was detected and response begun, there were between 40 and 50 cases. This time, by the time people have begun responding, there are between 400 and 500 cases. And this is occurring in a part of the world very difficult to work. It's remote, health services are limited, and there are multiple armed groups.

[00:01:57]In the best of circumstances, it's really hard to control Ebola. And if people are shooting at you, it's basically impossible.

[00:02:04]>> And remind our viewers how it spreads again.

[00:02:07]>> Ebola is only spread through very close contact with someone who's already ill.

[00:02:12]The most infectious situation is someone who's died from Ebola where the number of virus particles increases astronomically. There are burial practices in some of these communities with people touching the body or washing the body that can be super spreader events and result in dozens or even hundreds of people becoming infected.

[00:02:32]And that's likely to be part of what's resulting in this explosive spread.

[00:02:36]That's why it's so important to get in with services for communities, local staff, local leaders to quickly begin changing what have been practices that have been very culturally important for hundreds of years.

[00:02:49]>> Now, a Kenyan court has suspended the plan for a US Ebola quarantine facility there. And the CDC has no plans to open up a quarantine facility here in the US.

[00:02:59]So, what options do Americans who were exposed in Africa have? I mean, during the outbreaks of 2014 and 2016, several US nationals were allowed to be treated on US soil. Is it a mistake to keep Americans who may have been exposed out of the country?

[00:03:16]>> Well, there are a few different issues here. One, um we have in the US biocontainment airplanes to fly people back. We have biocontainment facilities to care for people. And even if we try to keep people out, there's always the possibility that someone who's been in a part of Africa will have been exposed and come in. So, no matter what we do, it's important that doctors seeing patients consider the possibility of Ebola in anyone with a fever who's been in this part of the world. In terms of our response, if we send soldiers to fight a a war overseas and they get hurt, we bring them back here to get cared for. And I think if we're sending our disease detectives into this very difficult environment, we need to be providing with the best possible care wherever that is.

[00:04:06]>> Are you at all concerned, sir, that Ebola could potentially wind up here in the US given how fast it's spreading in Africa?

[00:04:15]>> Fundamentally, we are not going to have widespread Ebola in this country. It's just not in the cards. Ebola spreads through a lot of contact with medical care, so that's why doctors and nurses need to be careful, and it spreads through unsafe burial practices, which are not present in this country, and in some other ways.

[00:04:35]So, we're not going to see, even in a worst-case scenario, widespread transmission in the US. However, this is a warning. It's a warning because over the past 18 months, the US has let down our guard. By leaving the World Health Organization, we have weakened one of the barriers of defense against viruses like this. By firing 3,000 staff at the CDC or forcing them to retire and replacing virtually all of the experts who ran the different parts of CDC with part-time or acting staff, we've weakened our defenses at CDC. And that means that whatever hits us next, and microbes are always working to come up with the next deadly pathogen, we'll be less prepared unless we reverse these changes now.

[00:05:18]>> I mean, so many lessons were learned during the coronavirus pandemic, and I'm concerned when you say something like that. Is the CDC and local health departments for public health equipped to handle an outbreak like Ebola, maybe not Ebola itself, but another outbreak, should it come to US soil? Another COVID, perhaps.

[00:05:38]>> There are thousands and thousands of really dedicated people working day and night at CDC and at state and local health departments around the US. We need to continue to strengthen those institutions. At the same time, we have to recognize that we will never be safe in this country unless overseas they're able to find threats faster and stop them sooner. That's why it is so important that we not undermine our global health programs. This is about global health protection. It's helping others stop diseases there so we don't have to fight them here.

[00:06:14]>> I want I don't want to let you go without explaining this chart that we put up there. It sort of explains how quickly Ebola is spreading in Africa.

[00:06:22]Could you explain it to us, please?

[00:06:24]>> Yes, this is time from detection for the first 100 days. And what you see in that red line is the current outbreak based at in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, and really rapid increase in cases.

[00:06:39]And what that indicates that almost certainly this has been going on for months spreading in many communities not detected, not responded to, and that's going to make it so much harder. We know that if you get to an Ebola outbreak in a couple of days, you can stop it in a couple of weeks. If you get there in a week or two, it can take a couple of months. But if it's been a couple of months, unless we urgently surge in support, this is an outbreak that could go on for years.

[00:07:07]>> Dr. Tom Frieden, thank you so much.

[00:07:09]>> Thank you.