Ebola shows world unprepared for pandemic, former CDC head says

The world is not "well prepared" for the next pandemic, Tom Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, citing the current response to the Ebola outbreak and cuts to U.S. public health efforts.

"This Ebola outbreak is not going to cause a pandemic, it's not going to cause a significant risk to large numbers of Americans," Frieden, the CEO of Resolve to Save Lives Inc., said on Bloomberg This Weekend. "It's a stress test, and it's a stress test the world is not doing well at. I would say so far we're failing, and that bodes ill for the future."

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday there are 1,077 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is spreading quickly. Partial border closures are in place between Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, which has made coordinating relief and aid more difficult.

African officials said earlier this week they have only received pledges meeting a little over half of the $500 million needed to fight the outbreak.

In the past, the U.S. has provided air transport for relief efforts, facilitating a quicker response. The U.S.'s global public health presence has been reduced since President Donald Trump took office.

Frieden served as CDC director during the Obama administration. He criticized recent changes to the U.S.'s public health efforts, including the Trump administration's decision to stop paying dues to the World Health Organization, cut more than 3,000 jobs at the CDC and push out some of the agency's senior leadership.

"Our defenses are down," Frieden said. "The WHO needs to be stronger. The CDC needs to be robust."

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With assistance from Christina Ruffini and David Gura.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 2:27 PM.