Scientists Found a New Strain of Ebola, Then Trump Ended Funding to Stop It.

  • by: Care2 Team
  • recipient: President Trump and USAID

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2016 that over 11,000 people died from the West African Ebola Outbreak between 2013 and 2016. And just last year, the government of Sierra Leone announced the discovery of a new strain. So why has the U.S. halted one of the world's most successful programs to uncover and prevent these imminent outbreaks?

Predict, a program under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was formed 10 years ago and since then has found over 1,100 new viruses that humans are at risk of contracting and spreading.

For the first 8 years of the program, Congress was extremely supportive of Predict's efforts to protect the global population from disease outbreaks. Now, under the current administration, funding has been slashed. This leaves the entire world at risk.

Sign now and demand that Congress restore Predict's funding and keep the global population safe from new diseases.

According to USAID, almost 75% of all new diseases start in animals. And every four months, a new disease that can move from animals to humans is discovered. But by cutting off funding and forcing Predict to shut down, the U.S. has shown that it doesn't care about the health and wellness of global citizens.

The U.S. decision to halt Predict's funding is not only cruel and dangerous but doesn't make economic sense. Predict has cost $207 million since 2009. But according to Dennis Carroll, who helped design the program, "the United States spent $5 billion fighting Ebola in West Africa."

Use your voice to tell Congress that the U.S. has a responsibility to fund Predict, for the good of the entire world. Sign the petition today!

Update: 2/26/20: 

United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King have sent a message to the Trump administration challenging the shutting down of USAID's Predict program. Predict was established to identify and combat viruses that pose a threat to global public health — viruses like the coronavirus currently spreading in several countries.

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