How The U.S. Response To Ebola Shows Failures On Lessons From COVID-19

InnovationHealthcareHow The U.S. Response To Ebola Shows Failures On Lessons From COVID-19ByOmer Awan,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dr. Omer Awan is a practicing physician who covers public health.Follow AuthorJun 08, 2026, 08:56pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.MONGBWALU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - MAY 20: Workers line up to disinfect their protective equipment at General Referral Hospital of Mongbwalu during the Ebola outbreak response in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 20, 2026. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern," as the death toll and number of confirmed cases continue to rise. The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of several Orthoebolaviruses that can cause Ebola disease, and for which there are no approved vaccines. The highest number of cases have been reported in Congo's eastern Ituri province, bordering Uganda. Global health officials have expressed grave concern over the capacity to contain the outbreak in a region already facing a humanitarian crisis, with highly mobile populations displaced by conflict and economic factors. (Photo by Michel Lunanga/Getty Images)Getty ImagesAs health officials work to contain the growing Ebola outbreak that has resulted in over 100 confirmed deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States has taken a similar response as it did with the COVID-19 pandemic almost six years ago. Although Ebola and COVID-19 are markedly different diseases, the tendency to respond aggressively only after outbreaks have escalated has typified the U.S. approach to public health in many ways. Here’s how the U.S. approach has been more reactive as opposed to proactive.The...