U.S. Must Do More To Support Ebola Response Efforts In DRC

Washington Post: The U.S. has pulled back its Ebola response in Congo. Here’s the story.
Jeremy Youde, associate professor of international relations at the Australian National University

“The current Ebola outbreak in Congo threatens to become uncontainable — because of politics, not the disease itself. … The local political dynamics at play in Congo are making any sort of response more difficult. This is where the international community could provide assistance by offering personnel, diagnostic assistance, and financing. Instead, the U.S. government’s response has been to withdraw from the region — though other governments have kept personnel in place. … While the United States is providing some support to those working on the frontlines of the crisis, the United States could still do much more by affirming that stopping the outbreak is in the U.S. national interest and embedding security personnel in the MONUSCO peacekeeping operation. … The Ebola outbreak in the Congo won’t magically end if the U.S. does get more involved. But the United States is a long-recognized leader in global health. If it chooses to remain disengaged, that could be worrisome for the future of global health” (11/8).

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