Skip to content
ThreadOut
Craig Spencer MD MPH@Craig_A_Spencer · Feb 26, 2025

Make a huge mistake. Then make a false claim about how you fixed it. They did it for PEPFAR. Now Ebola. I follow this…

6 tweets1 min read♥ 38.8Koriginal

Summary

A thread criticizing claims that an administration quickly restored Ebola prevention programs after initially cutting them, arguing the cuts to CDC staff, USAID support, and international response capabilities were not actually reversed and continue to undermine outbreak response infrastructure.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    Make a huge mistake. Then make a false claim about how you fixed it. They did it for PEPFAR. Now Ebola. I follow this particular topic VERY closely, so here's what really happened and why this isn't true AT ALL...🧵

    Aaron Rupar@atrupar · Feb 26, 2025

    Elon Musk: "We will make mistakes. We won't be perfect ... so for example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was ebola prevention."

  2. #2

    On January 29, Uganda reported an Ebola outbreak. Normally the U.S. would've very quickly sent one of our Ebola experts to help the response. But this time, we didn't. Because we couldn't. Because this administration wouldn't let them go right when this outbreak was declared.

  3. #3

    And normally the U.S. would've helped set up border screening and other measures on the ground. But this time, we didn't. Normally, we would've spoke with the WHO about helping end the outbreak. But this time, we didn't. Because CDC staff weren't even allowed to talk to them.

  4. #4

    I've been told by a colleague that Uganda tried calling the White House to notify them of the outbreak for 2 days...but no one answered the phone. Two months ago we had amazing experts working on global health security there. Now there appears to be no one to pick up a phone.

  5. #5

    You know who does 'Ebola prevention' here in the U.S.? The CDC. Hundreds of these frontline experts lost their jobs last week as part of indiscriminate 'cost saving' firings. More cuts are expected. USAID has long supported Ebola response efforts overseas. Not no more.

  6. #6

    So, it's NOT true to say 'one of things we accidentally cancelled very briefly was Ebola prevention' and that it was quickly restored... Because you've hobbled or directly dismantled the response structures needed to end Ebola outbreaks abroad and protect us here in the U.S.