90-Second Read: U.S. vulnerable to threats like Hantavirus

Two recent, overseas outbreaks of viral diseases have been dominating headlines, and showing that the United States is no longer the global health leader it once was. In the first incident, a strain of Hantavirus sickened about a dozen passengers and crew members on a cruise ship. In both outbreaks, appropriate public health measures were delayed because medical personnel weren't familiar with the particular strains of virus involved.

The second event, an ongoing outbreak of an uncommon Ebola virus, has killed about 140 people, mostly in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Under the second Trump administration, the United States is less able to spot and respond to serious disease outbreaks than in the past. It also dismantled USAID, which had previously allowed us to participate in and help guide response and recovery during international health emergencies.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies' working group on biodefense also noted in a report that the federal government covers most of the cost of state and local public health response capabilities, and that the funding has been halved. The United States has temporarily barred entry to noncitizens who have recently visited countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, a reasonable measure. Neither living nor completely lifeless, viruses are bits of genetic material wrapped in a protein sheath.