U.S. Senators Press State Department to Address Ebola’s Toll on Women in East Africa
Two senior U.S. senators are calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to step up the American response to an Ebola outbreak in eastern Africa, warning that women and infants are bearing a disproportionate share of the crisis and that already-appropriated funds should be deployed without delay.
Bipartisan call for swift action
In a letter addressed to the State Department, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska urged the Trump administration to use congressionally approved funding for voluntary family planning programs. The lawmakers said supplies already purchased under those programs should be distributed to affected communities to help mitigate the outbreak’s secondary health consequences.
Shaheen and Murkowski argued that the disruption caused by Ebola outbreaks typically extends beyond the immediate victims of the virus, weakening access to maternal care, contraception and reproductive health services at a moment when they are most needed.
Focus on women and infants
The senators framed their request around the particular risks faced by women and newborns during epidemics, when health systems are stretched thin and routine services are interrupted. They asked the State Department to coordinate with relevant agencies and international partners to ensure that voluntary family planning resources reach frontline providers.
The letter reflects a growing concern in Washington that the response to outbreaks in eastern Africa must incorporate gender-sensitive measures, particularly as the region has previously experienced major Ebola epidemics that disrupted healthcare delivery for months at a time.
Broader diplomatic context
The appeal adds to a series of bipartisan interventions in recent months in which members of Congress have pressed the administration to clarify its approach to global health priorities. Lawmakers from both parties have pointed to the longstanding role of U.S. foreign assistance in supporting epidemic preparedness and maternal health programs across sub-Saharan Africa.
The senators did not specify a timeline for a response, but said the situation demanded prompt attention given the speed at which Ebola can spread and the strain it places on local health infrastructure.
Until the State Department responds publicly, the letter signals continued congressional interest in ensuring that U.S. policy tools — including funding already cleared by Congress — are mobilised to address the gendered dimensions of the eastern African outbreak.
Source: AllAfrica — read the original report.
