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Rubio says US is considering naming official to run Ebola response

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration is considering appointing a dedicated official to oversee coordination of the government's Ebola response. The move comes as federal agencies continue daily efforts to monitor and address the outbreak in Africa.

Reuters

June 03, 2026

Rubio says US is considering naming official to run Ebola response

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on President Donald Trump's FY2027 budget request for the Department of State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 2, 2026.

Kylie Cooper/Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a House of Representatives committee on Tuesday that the Trump administration is considering appointing a single official to coordinate its response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa.


"I don't want to use the term 'Ebola czar', but (it would be) someone with the qualifications to sort of serve full time in the coordination of the interagency," Rubio said, adding "a couple of people" were being considered for the role.


"In the interim, the interagency has a daily meeting on this, and we at the State Department have a task force 24/7 on it."


-Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Simon Lewis and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Chris Reese/Reuters

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