Elon Musk, attending former U.S. President Donald Trump’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday, admitted that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mistakenly canceled Ebola prevention funding during an ongoing outbreak in Uganda.
Musk acknowledged the error, stating, “We will make mistakes. We won’t be perfect. When we make mistakes, we’ll fix them very quickly. One of the things we accidentally canceled briefly was Ebola prevention. We restored it immediately, and there was no interruption.”
The statement quickly went viral, drawing mixed reactions online. While some appreciated Musk’s transparency, others criticized the oversight, calling it a reckless mistake. U.S. Congressman Don Beyer condemned the blunder, saying, “An average person who ‘accidentally’ canceled Ebola prevention would be fired. Musk is failing up because he bought his job, not earned it.”
Uganda is currently battling an Ebola outbreak caused by the Sudan Virus Disease (SVD), with nine confirmed cases and one fatality. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that SVD has a high fatality rate of 41% to 70%, and the absence of licensed vaccines poses a significant public health risk.
The incident has raised concerns over the impact of budget cuts on global health initiatives, particularly in African nations relying on international support.
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