Rubio says WHO was ‘a little late’ on identifying Ebola outbreak
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) for being late in identifying the recent Ebola outbreak. He emphasized that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and WHO would lead the US response to the virus. The WHO has faced challenges due to reduced funding from the US, which has impacted its operations.
- ▪Marco Rubio stated that the WHO was late in identifying the Ebola outbreak.
- ▪The US plans to fund up to 50 Ebola treatment centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda.
- ▪The WHO has expressed concern about the scale and speed of the Ebola outbreak, which has resulted in 136 suspected deaths.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Rubio says WHO was ‘a little late’ on identifying Ebola outbreakSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the WHO was late to identifying the deadly outbreak.PHOTO: KENNY HOLSTON/NYTIMESPublished May 20, 2026, 07:50 AMUpdated May 20, 2026, 07:50 AMWASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 19 that the World Health Organization, the UN body which President Donald Trump stopped funding, was late in identifying a deadly outbreak of Ebola.Asked by reporters how the United States would respond to the virus outbreak, Mr Rubio said: “The lead is obviously going to be CDC (the Centers for Disease Control) and the World Health Organization, which was a little late to identify this thing unfortunately.”Mr Trump in one of his…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Straits Times — World.