Acting CDC Director Talks Ebola Precautions and COVID-19 Vaccine Trust

Acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya told The National News Desk that the U.S.

government is taking extensive measures to prevent any Ebola cases from reaching the United States, including plans for a U.S.-managed quarantine unit in Kenya. With the Ebola outbreak spreading in parts of Africa and major international travel expected for the World Cup, Bhattacharya emphasized the government's efforts to reduce the risk of imported cases.

Bhattacharya said the U.S. response includes a unit in Kenya where Americans exposed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or other affected areas can go for quarantine if they become seriously ill.

He noted that the government also has plans for further deployment to provide treatment either in-country or elsewhere, similar to how an American previously exposed was treated in Germany or somewhere close to the theater rather than being flown halfway across the world while sick.

"There is a real emphasis on making sure that no cases arrive in the United States," Bhattacharya said. "Now, we can't guarantee that.

But we've done everything we can to try to reduce the likelihood of that, especially with the World Cup coming on." He confirmed there are currently zero cases of Ebola in the United States and said the country is "absolutely ready" if a case somehow inadvertently gets through.

Travel restrictions tied to Ebola are aimed primarily at non-U.S. passport holders, not American citizens.

Travelers who have been in Uganda, the DRC, or South Sudan must spend 21 days outside those countries before being allowed into the United States, a requirement Bhattacharya said reduces the likelihood of spread to very low levels. The U.S.

is also funneling passengers from affected areas into four airports and screening every single one of them to ensure they do not have Ebola.

During the interview, Bhattacharya was asked about diminished public trust in health organizations after the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2022 post in which he appeared to question the credibility of public health professionals. He criticized job-loss threats and mandates that he said didn't make scientific sense, noting that many of those positions were political decisions by the Biden administration that undermined trust in public health.

"It was very clear that the COVID vaccine didn't stop you from getting and spreading COVID," Bhattacharya said. He contrasted that with current Ebola-related restrictions, saying, "The restrictions we're doing today make scientific sense.

They're designed to keep Americans safe from Ebola."

Asked about a congressional hearing examining plausible mechanisms of COVID-19 injections causing cancer, Bhattacharya said he hopes to see the truth and gold standard science so the public can learn what all the consequences are. He added, "I mean, I personally, at this moment, don't believe that there was a strong link between the COVID-19 vaccine and cancer," while reiterating he opposed vaccine mandates.