Rubio criticises WHO as 'a little late' identifying deadly Congo Ebola outbreak

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Tuesday (May 19) that the World Health Organisation (WHO) was "a little late" in identifying the deadly Ebola outbreak currently spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When questioned by reporters regarding the United States' response to the virus, Rubio noted that while the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the WHO would lead the response efforts, the UN body's detection had unfortunately lagged.

The WHO expressed serious concern earlier Tuesday regarding the "scale and speed" of the current Ebola outbreak, which has already killed an estimated 131 people in the DR Congo. Rubio explained that the US is hoping to establish approximately 50 treatment clinics in the African nation. However, he acknowledged the severe operational difficulties facing aid workers on the ground. "It's a little tough to get to because it's in a rural area... and hard-to-get-to place in a war-torn country, unfortunately," Rubio said as quoted by news agency AFP, adding, "We're going to lean into that pretty heavy."

The United States has committed roughly $13 million in assistance to combat the outbreak, a figure that follows sweeping cuts made to American foreign aid budgets last year. The security and health crisis unfolds amid a highly strained relationship between Washington and the United Nations health agency. Last year, in one of his first acts upon returning to office, President Donald Trump initiated a total US withdrawal from the WHO. Trump has been a bitter and vocal critic of the organisation, heavily attacking its management of the global Covid pandemic. The Covid health crisis severely impacted Trump's first administration in the months leading up to his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.