OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
2:31 PM – Tuesday, May 19, 2026
President Donald Trump has revealed that he is “concerned” about Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after an American was confirmed to have tested positive for it.
As of Tuesday, the outbreak has caused 131 fatalities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“I’m concerned about everything,” Trump said when asked about Ebola during an event at the White House about his administration’s TrumpRx website, offering discounts on prescription medications.
“I think that it’s been confined right now to Africa, and but it’s something that has had a breakout,” he said of the disease.
Trending: BREAKING: President Trump Posts Picture Of Himself With Big Grey Alien On TruthSocial
Director of the Center for a Healthy America at America First Policy Institute Heidi Overton, a physician who was tapped in 2025 for Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, said that one American is symptomatic and that said person, “as well as six other high-risk contacts, are going to be taken out of that region and taken to Germany.” She explained that the medical facility in Germany would be a shorter flight for the patient.
“We have stood up a full interagency response,” Overton said at the White House event, adding that the Department of State, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of War are tracking the seven patients.
Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC’s Ebola response incident manager, told reporters that an American had tested positive for Ebola on Sunday.
“Right now, there are no cases of Ebola in America. We want to keep it that way, and we are doing everything we can to support Americans in the region,” Overton stated.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic.” However, he cautioned the World Health Assembly in Geneva not to overreact if the number of confirmed cases increases dramatically due to the improved oversight in the area.
“Numbers will change as field operations are scaling up, including strengthening surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory testing,” he said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News on Monday that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working to address the outbreak.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!