The South China Morning Post published on 7 June 2026 an article titled "Chinese Medical Team Arrives in DR Congo to Help Fight Ebola, 'Filing US Void'" by Jevans Nyabiage.
China sent a small medical team to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has significant interests in critical minerals, to combat the outbreak of Ebola. It is not clear, however, whether the effort will match the extensive contribution it made to combatting Ebola in West Africa in 2014-2016.
The New York Times published on 6 June 2026 an article titled "As Ebola Spreads in East Africa, Will China Step Up?" by Lily Kuo and Stephanie Nolen.
The United States is playing a much smaller role in combatting Ebola in Africa than it has in previous outbreaks. China has made a modest contribution, but it is unclear how much Beijing is willing to do to help confront what could become the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.
The World Health Organization posted on 14 November 2025 an announcement titled "Ethiopia Confirms Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease."
Ethiopia has reported 9 cases of Marburg virus, an often-fatal disease transmitted to humans by fruit bats. It is in the same family of diseases that cause Ebola. There is no vaccine for effective management or prevention of Marburg.
The New York Times published on 27 October 2025 an article titled "Diphtheria, a Once Vanquished Killer of Children, Is Resurgent" by Stephanie Nolen.
Diphtheria returned to Somalia in 2023 and subsequently more than 2,000 cases have been reported. Outbreaks have also occurred in Nigeria, Sudan, and Chad as countries in conflict experience low levels of vaccination.
The July/August 2025 issue of the Foreign Service Journal contains an article titled "USAID Is Vanishing" by Jim Bever, 35-year veteran of USAID.
This is an account by a former USAID mission director (4 times) on the impact of dismantling the US foreign aid organization. He emphasizes that no national security strategy has been offered to explain or justify this decision.
The Washington Post published on 29 June 2025 an article titled "In Sudan, Where Children Clung to Life, Doctors Say USAID Cuts Have Been Fatal" by Katharine Houreld.
Following the dismantlement of USAID and cuts in support for community soup kitchens and the end of critical medical supplies in Sudan, more Sudanese are dying. The World Health Organization estimates that 5 million Sudanese may lose access to lifesaving health services as a result of the US cuts.
The Council on Foreign Relations published on 14 April 2025 a commentary titled "A Third Year of War: Dried-Up Aid Pulls Sudan Further into Chaos" by Mariel Ferragamo.
People are dying more of hunger and disease in Sudan than bullets. The health care system is collapsing. The dismantlement of USAID was followed by the shutting down of 80 percent of the local emergency kitchens. Other donors have also cut back on aid to Sudan.
The Hill published on 24 March 2025 an article titled "The Savings from Shuttering USAID Aren't Worth the Global Costs" by Neil Schluger, New York Medical College.
The author describes the fallout from the absence of USAID participation in and funding of a program in Ethiopia to control tuberculosis. The amount of money saved is miniscule while the consequences are deadly.
The Hill published on 21 March 2025 an article titled "Internal USAID List Provides Snapshot of Trump Cuts" by Laura Kelly.
A 400-page list provided to Congress offers insights on the cuts the Trump administration is making to USAID. Ending some of these programs in the health sector will result in deaths overseas and endanger Americans in the United States while cuts in food programs will have a negative impact on American farmers who grow and supply the food for humanitarian programs. The goal of the Trump administration seems to be to destroy USAID.
Comment: The remnants of USAID will be transferred to the State Department. One important issue that is receiving little attention is the fact that the State Department is ill-equipped and understaffed to manage a variety of humanitarian programs.
The Hill published on 19 March 2025 a commentary titled "The Challenging but Compelling Political Case for USAID" by J. Brian Attwood, USAID administrator in the Clinton administration.
The author makes the domestic and international case for retaining the US Agency for International Development while acknowledging that it is a hard sell for many Americans who do not understand why the United States spends tax dollars on foreigners.
The Associated Press published on 13 March 2025 an article titled "US Aid Cuts Are Hurting Africa's Ability to Respond to Disease Outbreaks" by Rodney Muhumuza.
The Director General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya, said recent cuts in US foreign aid are hurting Africa's capacity to respond to disease outbreaks such as Ebola and mpox and are leaving health systems in Africa in disarray.
The New York Times published on 8 March 2025 an article titled "How Foreign Aid Cuts Are Setting the Stage for Disease Outbreaks" by Apoorva Mandavilli.
The Trump administration's pause in foreign aid has hobbled programs that prevent outbreaks of disease such as Ebola and dengue around the world. These diseases eventually appear everywhere, including the United States. The interruption and possible termination of USAID funding increase the likelihood of uncontrolled disease outbreaks.
Foreign Policy published on 4 February 2025 a commentary titled "Abolishing USAID Is Both Unconstitutional and Disastrous" by Matthew M. Kavanagh and Luis Gil Abinaden, both at Georgetown University.
This is a convincing argument from a public health perspective why the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) makes no sense. Moving what remains of USAID into the State Department is equally unwise.
The Associated Press published on 29 October 2024 an article titled "Sudan Has Displaced over 14 Million, or about 30% of the Population, UN Says."
The International Organization for Migration says the civil war in Sudan has displaced about 30 percent of the population since conflict broke out more than a year ago. Some 11 million people are internally displaced and 3.1 million are refugees in neighboring countries, making Sudan the world's largest displacement crisis.
The Council on Foreign Relations posted on 19 September 2024 a photo essay titled "Crisis in Sudan, War, Famine, and a Failing Global Response" by Mariel Ferragamo and Sabine Baumgartner.
Making widespread use of photos and maps, the article describes a failing aid response and unsuccessful peace process in efforts to end the tragedy in Sudan.
The Conversation published on 10 September 2024 a commentary titled "South Sudan Floods: The First Example of a Mass Population Permanently Displaced by Climate Change?" by Liz Stephens, University of Reading, and Jacob Levi, Institute of International Health, Berlin University of Medicine.
Floods have engulfed much of South Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from the Sudd due to flooding along the White Nile. The floods seem to be getting worse each year, raising concerns that many South Sudanese will be permanently displaced.
Reuters published on 20 June 2024 an article titled "Sudan's Cemeteries Swell with Fresh Graves as Hunger and Disease Spread" by Ryan McNeill, Maggie Michael, and Reade Levinson.
As hunger and disease spread in Sudan, especially Darfur region, the graveyards grow in size. Almost 20 percent of Sudan's population is currently facing an emergency food situation or worse because of the civil war. About two-thirds of Sudanese no longer have access to healthcare. Sudan risks a lost generation.
Reuters published on 30 April 2024 a special report titled "As Famine Looms in Sudan, the Hungary Eat Soil and Leaves" by Maggie Michael and El Tayab Siddig.
Nearly 5 million Sudanese are close to famine as hunger and starvation spread across the country. Almost 18 million face high levels of acute food insecurity. The report maps out the progression of food insecurity from February 2023 to September 2024.
UNICEF published on 28 April 2022 a press release titled "UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell Visits Drought-impacted Somali Region in Ethiopia and Calls for an Immediate Scaled-up Response to Save the Lives of Millions of Children."
Three failed consecutive rainy seasons in parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia have caused one of the worst droughts in decades. One of the most impacted areas is Somali region of Ethiopia. Some 10 million children need urgent life-saving support.
Aljazeera published on 17 May 2021 an article titled "People Face 'Horrific' Situation in Ethiopia's Tigray: WHO Chief,"
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is an Ethiopian from Tigray Region, commented on 16 May that the humanitarian situation in Tigray is "horrific." He said five million residents now need humanitarian aid; acute malnutrition has become widespread.
