ITURI PROVINCE — Susan Reichle, a former USAID official, criticized the U.S. response to the 2025 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, citing a 10-day information gap. She stated that trust with partners had been broken, which contributed to a lack of confidence in sharing information. "The World Health Organization found out about a suspected case on May 5th, and we did not learn about it until May 15th, so we lost 10 days to even respond." Reichle said.
The U.S. canceled aid contracts with non-governmental organizations operating in the DRC in the previous year. Reichle commented on the impact of this, stating, "The trust has been broken and there is not that level of confidence to even share information, but there just are not enough people on the ground for partners to share information with." Over 120 armed militias operate in the Ituri province of the DRC, where the current outbreak is occurring. Projections estimate the current Ebola outbreak could reach 20,000 cases if not rapidly contained.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a $162 million commitment from the State Department for humanitarian aid. In October 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that an Ebola outbreak in West Africa risked infecting 1.4 million Africans by 2015. The 2014 Ebola outbreak affected Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Reichle served as the counselor to the agency in Washington, D.C. in October 2014. The 2014 Ebola response was the first time the agency became involved in an Ebola outbreak response. During that 2014 response, the agency provided protective equipment, laboratory support, contact tracers, and training on safe burials. The 2014 outbreak had 49 confirmed cases when it was first identified globally, and it took two and a half months to reach 300 confirmed cases. In contrast, the current Ebola outbreak reached 300 confirmed cases within two weeks of the CDC beginning its response.