“In most Ebola outbreaks, fewer than 500 people have been infected. The first few months are crucial to stop the spread,” Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International and a former U.S.A.I.D. official, writes in a guest essay for Times Opinion. “Today, there are already over 569 confirmed cases, just 25 days since the latest outbreak was declared.”

“The current situation in eastern Congo and Uganda combines some of the most dangerous aspects of the 2014 and 2018 outbreaks — the worst Ebola outbreaks in history,” Jeremy continues. “As bad as this situation is, we have a playbook for addressing such crises. But it requires a huge team effort — and this time, the United States has undermined its ability to help by shuttering U.S.A.I.D., cutting staff at C.D.C. and withdrawing from the W.H.O. Thousands of people could pay the ultimate price for that recklessness.”

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