Ebola doctor warns outbreak is ‘much bigger’ than public think | US | News
TOPSHOT – A staff member at CBCA Virunga Hospital checks a visitor’s temperature using a non-contact infrared thermometer before allowing him to access the hospital in Goma on May 17, 2026. The first case of Ebola virus infection was reported in Goma, a major city controlled by the M23 armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and WHO declared an international health alert on Sunday. According to figures released on Saturday by the African Union’s health agency (Africa CDC), 88 deaths possibly caused by the virus were recorded out of 336 suspected cases. One death was reported in neighboring Uganda. Because the epicenter of the outbreak is in a hard-to-reach area, few samples have been tested in laboratories and the figures are largely based on suspected cases. (Photo: Jospin Mwisha / AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Health authorities are on high alert following a new Ebola outbreak in Africa that has already spread beyond the continent’s borders.
Ebola, which triggers fever, vomiting and horrific bleeding, can be fatal just 24 hours after infection.
In a worrying update, the health ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed that more than 130 people are believed to have died and more than 500 suspected cases have been recorded in the eastern region of the country.
An American citizen also tested positive for the virus after being exposed while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the individual was flown to Germany for treatment and is currently being treated in a specialist isolation ward at the Charité hospital in Berlin.
A further six people were identified as high-risk contacts and are expected to be transferred to Europe to undergo strict quarantine measures.
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 11: Dr., who was diagnosed with Ebola in New York last month. Craig Spencer was seen at a press conference held at New York’s Bellevue Hospital after being declared recovered from the disease on November 11, 2014 in New York City. Spencer, a 33-year-old Médecins Sans Frontières doctor, was diagnosed last month after treating patients in Guinea. He became the first person in New York to test positive for the deadly virus and was treated in hospital in isolation. The case of Spencer, who wandered around the city unaware that he had the virus in the days after returning from Africa, sparked debate about voluntary quarantine. Spencer is expected to return to his apartment in New York City’s Hamilton Heights neighborhood after his release. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
While the world is struggling with another major health crisis, an American doctor who caught Ebola while treating his patients during the 2014 epidemic issued a stern warning.
Dr Craig Spencer told US channel ABC News that he was “confident” the current outbreak was “much larger” than official figures suggested.
“My biggest concern about this epidemic is that we are learning too much too quickly for this to be really bad,” Dr Spencer said. Dr Spencer tested positive for the deadly virus in 2014 after treating patients in Guinea while working for Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières. After returning to the United States, he was treated at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, New York, for 19 days.
Donald Trump claims he was asked to delay planned attacks on Iran (Image: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“I was lucky enough to survive. I returned to Guinea a few months later as an epidemiologist helping run the national response for Médecins Sans Frontières in early 2015,” Dr Spencer said.
Asked if he would consider volunteering his expertise to help with the current Ebola outbreak, he said: “I’ve already been through quite a bit for my family. We’ll see what comes of that, but I’m happy to help.”
Dr Spencer told ABC News that the American doctor, who recently contracted the disease, was weighing heavily on his mind.
“Unfortunately, I know exactly what it feels like to be in this situation, to be incredibly scared, to have an illness that you’ve perhaps seen the effects of and know there’s no cure for,” Dr Spencer said. “Thinking of him and his family.”
Dr Spencer continues to work in emergency medicine at A&E and also serves as professor of public health at Brown University. Also, the President of the United States Donald TrumpThe decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) left the country ill-equipped to respond to the latest Ebola outbreak; This was one of Trump’s first actions after taking office last year.
Dr Spencer’s remarks follow criticism of the WHO by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told reporters on Tuesday (May 19) that the international health agency was “a little late” in detecting the devastating Ebola outbreak in Africa.
As part of Ebola prevention measures in Goma on May 18, 2026, a visitor washes his hands before entering Kyeshero Hospital at a checkpoint for hand washing and temperature screening for all visitors and patients entering Kyeshero Hospital. The first case of Ebola virus infection was reported in Goma, a major city controlled by the M23 armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and WHO declared an international health alert on May 17. 2026. (Photo: Jospin Mwisha / AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“The lead will be the CDC and the World Health Organisation, unfortunately they were a little late in detecting this thing,” he said, via the Guardian.
Rubio announced that the United States, which promised about £9.7 million (US$13 million) in aid last year despite extensive funding cuts, aims to establish about 50 treatment centers for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(L)Dr. Photo taken while Craig Spencer was in Africa in 2014, before contracting Ebola, and (R) an artist’s impression of Ebola in its habitat (Image: Supplied)
America’s departure from the WHO also resulted in the international health agency losing almost a quarter of its workforce (about 2,000 positions) out of a total staff of about 9,400.
Trump’s decision to remove the USA from the WHO was described as “sowing the seeds of the next epidemic” by experts, especially Georgetown University global health professor Lawrence Gostin.
