Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Ebola Rages, Rubio To Take Reins From RFK Jr. Over Control Of US Relationship With Gavi
The New York Times: Rubio Suggests U.S. Return To Global Vaccine Program In Rebuke Of Kennedy
Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated on Tuesday that the United States may resume its funding of a global vaccines alliance that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pulled the United States out of last year, an unusual public rebuke of Mr. Kennedy’s involvement in matters of global health. Testifying on Capitol Hill, Mr. Rubio told senators that President Trump had asked the State Department to allow Mr. Kennedy to “play a leading role” in the decision on whether to fund Gavi, an organization that provides immunizations for low-income nations and maintains the global Ebola vaccine stockpile. (Nolen and Gay Stolberg, 6/2)
Stat: NIH Cuts Weakened Network Primed To Respond To Outbreaks Like Ebola
In 2020, the National Institutes of Health funded a network of 10 centers intended to “expand knowledge on re-emerging and emerging infectious diseases.” But when dangerous Ebola and hantaviruses spilled over and caused outbreaks in recent months, those research centers have not been in a position to provide aid. In 2025, the centers’ grants were terminated by the Trump administration as part of cuts that targeted work related to Covid-19 and pandemic preparedness. (Oza, 6/3)
CIDRAP: WHO Drastically Downsizes Ebola Case Count In DR Congo Outbreak
Yesterday and today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced the official case count of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda from nearly 1,000 cases to 321 confirmed cases, including 48 deaths in the DRC. Another 116 cases are suspected. In Uganda, the new case count is 11 confirmed cases, one confirmed death, one probable case, and one probable death. (Soucheray, 6/2)
The New York Times: Only The Right Tests Can Stop This Ebola Outbreak. Congo Has Hardly Any
Months ago, doctors in Ituri Province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo started seeing patients with the vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding that are the hallmarks of Ebola. The tests kept coming back negative. It was weeks before samples from sick people — many of whom had already died — made it to the National Institute of Biomedical Research in the capital, Kinshasa. There, researchers used a different test that screened for more species of Ebola and related viruses. (Nolen, 6/2)
Bloomberg: Kenya Ordered To Disclose Details Of Ebola Center Deal With US
A Kenyan high court instructed the authorities to disclose details of an agreement with the US government to establish an Ebola quarantine facility in the East African nation. Judge Patricia Nyaundi ordered the publication of the “full terms of any agreement, memorandum, arrangement or negotiations relating to the proposed facility,” details of public health, environmental, biosafety or security assessments that were undertaken and approvals obtained from lawmakers and other regulatory bodies. (Herbling, 6/2)
Regarding covid, mpox, and measles —
Newsweek: Worrying COVID 'Cicada' Variant Spreads As US Maps Go Dark
Federal funding cuts for one of America's major infectious disease surveillance programs could threaten public health responses, experts say, sparking widespread concern, particularly as a newer variant of COVID-19 continues to spread across the U.S., highlighting the need for monitoring systems. As part of President Donald Trump's budget plan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) will see its funding cut from around $125 million a year to about $25 million. (Laws, 6/3)
Politico: Two Researchers Charged With Smuggling Mpox Into The US
Federal law enforcement agencies on Tuesday charged two researchers at a National Institutes of Health lab in Montana with conspiracy to smuggle deactivated mpox virus into the United States and with giving false statements about it. The researchers are Vincent Munster, an award-winning scientist who heads the virus ecology section at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, a small town an hour’s drive south of Missoula, and Claude Kwe, a research fellow in Munster’s section, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Munster is Dutch. Kwe is Cameroonian. (Paun, 6/2)
CIDRAP: Measles Cases Mount In Florida As PAHO Warns Of Increased Activity
The Florida Department of Health said there have been 154 measles cases in the state this year, with the most recent cases identified in Orange and Palm Beach counties. The total comes from cases reported in 15 counties through May 23 and is the highest number of cases reported in the state in a single year over the last 25 years. Most of the cases come from Collier County, where Ave Maria University reported an outbreak in January and February of this year. (Soucheray, 6/2)
