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As the world confronts a new Ebola outbreak, Dr. Craig Spencer, an American physician who survived the 2014 epidemic, has voiced serious concerns about the current situation’s severity.
Having contracted Ebola himself while treating patients in Guinea with Doctors Without Borders, Dr. Spencer is convinced that the current outbreak is far larger than official reports suggest.
Speaking with ABC News, Dr. Spencer emphasized, “My biggest concern about this outbreak is that we learned way too much way too quickly for this to be anything but really bad.”
After surviving 19 days of intensive treatment at Bellevue Hospital in New York, he returned to Guinea in early 2015 to assist in the ongoing response efforts. When asked about re-engaging in the current crisis, he noted the personal toll on his family but expressed willingness to help if needed.
The recent diagnosis of an American physician with Ebola has struck a personal chord for Dr. Spencer. “I unfortunately know exactly what it feels like to be in that situation, to be incredibly fearful, to have a disease that maybe you’ve seen the impact of and know that there’s not a treatment for,” he said, extending his thoughts to the affected doctor and their loved ones.
Currently, Dr. Spencer practices emergency medicine and serves as a public health professor at Brown University. He also criticized the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) under President Trump, arguing it has weakened America’s capacity to respond to global health crises like Ebola.
The outbreak in eastern Congo has already claimed over 130 lives, with more than 500 suspected cases recorded. The virus, known for causing severe fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding, can be fatal within 24 hours. The American infected with Ebola contracted the virus while on assignment in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since been transported to Germany for specialized treatment at Berlin’s Charité hospital.
Authorities have identified six additional high-risk contacts who are expected to be quarantined in Europe as a precaution. This approach comes amid mounting criticism of the WHO’s response speed, including remarks from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the global health agency as “a little late” in identifying the outbreak.
Despite funding cuts, the U.S. has pledged around $13 million to support efforts in the DR Congo, aiming to establish approximately 50 Ebola treatment centers. However, the American exit from the WHO led to significant personnel losses within the organization, raising concerns among global health experts that such moves could exacerbate future pandemics.
As the Ebola crisis unfolds, voices like Dr. Spencer’s underscore the urgent need for coordinated international action to contain this deadly virus before it spreads further.