President Donald Trump‘s administration has barred top federal health experts from joining World Health Organization (WHO) discussions on Ebola. The United States is stepping back from its global health leadership role. Experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) now need senior staff approval before communicating with the WHO. It is a big change from how the nation has historically engaged with global health emergencies.
Donald Trump’s administration reportedly blocks experts talking to WHO
According to a CNN report, the restrictions were first put in place during the hantavirus outbreak. When Ebola resurfaced fatally in the Democratic Republic of Congo, only a small number of US experts received permission to attend WHO meetings and only to listen, not to contribute.
A May 18 email obtained by CNN stated, “We’ll be operating in the same manner for Ebola as we have been doing for Hantavirus, assembling a small group of experts — no more than three — to participate. Should we have legitimate research questions or countermeasure testing ideas, we can bring those up through the proper chain of command.” Following the outlet’s report, the permitted number was raised to 30.
This move fits into a wider pattern. On his first day in office — January 20, 2025 — Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the WHO. His administration also cut funding for USAID, which had been a critical financial lifeline for the DRC — the second-largest recipient of that aid, according to The Guardian.
The outlet also reported that a National Institutes of Health lab in Frederick, Maryland, focused specifically on Ebola research, has since been shut down. Leadership gaps are adding to the concern. NIAID, the FDA, and the CDC currently have no permanent directors. The US also lacks a permanent Surgeon General and Deputy Health Secretary.
Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Center for Global Health Policy and Politics at Georgetown University, shared that past US involvement had prevented countless outbreaks from going global. He warned that the current situation signals a clear change: “This outbreak should have been detected weeks ago… it certainly says that the United States has stopped playing the role.”
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
