CDC Elevates 2026 Ebola Outbreak to Level 1 Emergency Response Amid Severe Staffing Shortages
核心洞察
The CDC (搜索) has escalated the 2026 Ebola (搜索) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a Level 1 activation, its highest emergency response level, with over 1,100 confirmed cases making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC.
CDC (搜索) Director Jay Bhattacharya warned employees that the response will likely last several months and require "substantial staffing," forcing the agency to make "hard decisions" about prioritizing work.
The agency is grappling with a 27% workforce reduction since fiscal 2024, with 50% of NCEZID (搜索) employees reporting low morale and staffing and budget cited as dominant concerns in nearly 40% of survey responses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has elevated its response to the 2026 Ebola (搜索) outbreak to a Level 1 activation — the agency's highest emergency response level reserved for critical emergencies — as confirmed cases surpass 1,100 in what is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the third-largest documented globally.
Jay Bhattacharya, the Senate-confirmed director of the National Institutes of Health who is performing the delegable duties of CDC (搜索) director, informed CDC employees in an email Tuesday that the outbreak response "will likely last several months and requires substantial staffing."
"The coming months will require us to make hard decisions about how to prioritize work, especially programmatic activities in CDC (搜索) centers, institutes and offices," Bhattacharya wrote. "We understand the challenges related to balancing program priorities and support for emergency responses, and we appreciate your leadership and flexibility in planning for how your CIO can support response needs."
Level 1 Activation Signals Escalating Crisis
On June 26, CDC (搜索) escalated its Ebola (搜索) response to a Level 1 activation, which according to the agency's website is "reserved for critical emergencies." During a Level 1 activation, CDC assigns the largest number of staff possible to work 24/7 on the response.
"Elevating to Level 1 reflects the urgency, scale and complexity of the outbreak and allows CDC (搜索) to bring additional resources, coordination, and operational support to the response," Bhattacharya wrote.
A longtime CDC (搜索) employee told Federal News Network that Level 1 activations are "fairly rare," adding that "things feel very different at CDC when those are happening, versus lower-level responses." The last time CDC ordered a Level 1 activation was in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic, with previous Level 1 responses including the 2016 Zika virus outbreak, the 2014 Ebola (搜索) outbreak, the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
HHS Press Secretary Emily Hilliard said in a statement that by elevating its Ebola (搜索) outbreak response to a Level 1 activation, CDC (搜索) is "ensuring the agency is better positioned to provide the highest level of operational support."
Workforce Under Severe Strain
The escalation comes as CDC (搜索) contends with deep workforce reductions. According to federal workforce data, CDC has cut its staffing by about 27% since fiscal 2024 — a net loss of more than 3,200 employees. Despite this, the agency has hired fewer than 200 employees since the start of the second Trump administration, according to a federal workforce database last updated in May.
A CDC (搜索) employee described the agency as "running on fumes." Meanwhile, CDC is simultaneously supporting ongoing responses to measles, New World Screwworm, and polio, while its Emergency Operations Center for the World Cup remains active through July.
In an internal meeting last month, CDC (搜索)'s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID (搜索)), which is responsible for prevention and control of rare but deadly diseases, told employees that the Ebola (搜索) response is expected "to go on many months," probably for another six to 12 months.
Peggy Honein, director of NCEZID (搜索)'s Infectious Disease Readiness & Innovation division, told staff that "what we really need is more on-the-ground intelligence to know what's happening in D.R. Congo, and that is extraordinarily difficult right now in the area of the country that's impacted."
"We really want to make sure we have sufficient technical and operational support to lead this Ebola (搜索) response, and what will definitely be a marathon with the number of cases we're seeing at this point in time," Honein said.
Morale Crisis and Leadership Vacancies
An internal NCEZID (搜索) survey with feedback from 340 employees revealed that 50% of respondents rated their personal workplace morale as "somewhat low" or "very low." Another 31% said their morale was "neither high nor low," while only about 18% reported morale as "somewhat high" or "very high."
"These results make it clear that morale remains a significant challenge for many staff," said Kristen Nordlund, associate director for communication science at NCEZID (搜索).
Staffing and budget were "by far the dominant concerns," mentioned in nearly 40% of survey responses. Job security and fear of additional reductions in force were a "close second," appearing in a quarter of employees' written responses. Despite these pressures, approximately 90% of surveyed employees said they were proud of the work NCEZID (搜索) does.
The agency is also operating with significant leadership gaps. According to former CDC (搜索) officials, over 80% of the agency's center director positions are currently held by acting officials. Sean Slovenski, CDC's new principal deputy director and chief operating officer, acknowledged at a recent town hall that "I've never seen such a plethora of acting roles in my life," adding that acting leaders typically don't feel empowered to make decisions with lasting impact.
Demetre Daskalakis, former director of CDC (搜索)'s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, warned that "preparedness depends on people. You can have plans on paper, but without experienced epidemiologists … data teams, field staff, it collapses when it's most needed."
Staffing Mobilization and Incentive Challenges
Bhattacharya is calling on more CDC (搜索) employees to join the CDCReady Responder program, a multidisciplinary task force launched after the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 2024, the program had approximately 2,750 employees enrolled. Bhattacharya is asking CDC supervisors to encourage staff to enroll and to approve Ebola (搜索) response assignments as soon as they are submitted.
However, CDC (搜索) is currently not offering time-off incentives for employees who have completed their frontline tour of duty. A notice obtained by Federal News Network states that the agency's Post-Deployment Time Off Award program "has been suspended by HHS."
Hilliard said CDC (搜索) discontinued the practice of granting administrative leave following deployments several years ago, adding that "incentive programs operate within designated award windows, and the current timing is not aligned for this specific award, which the CDC is aware of and addressing."
HHS has authorized CDC (搜索) to make about 900 new hires as part of a department-wide hiring surge to bring in 12,000 new employees. However, CDC employees say their agency isn't doing much hiring because it would be required to give priority consideration to former employees who were laid off last year. Instead, CDC has been addressing its most urgent staffing gaps through temporary reassignments — a practice employees have compared to a "game of musical chairs."
Bhattacharya acknowledged in a recent town hall that CDC (搜索) hasn't done a lot of hiring yet but has moved employees around the agency to address several public health emergencies. "I want to also recognize many staff members who are backfilling crucial roles while colleagues are deployed in those responses. Your flexibility ensures the CDC's essential work continues without interruption," he said.