**CDC Accelerates Hiring and Response Efforts Amid Major Ebola Outbreak**
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is intensifying its recruitment efforts to staff up for a significant Ebola outbreak overseas. The agency has elevated its response to the highest level, signaling the urgency and scale of the situation. According to Jay Bhattacharya, the Senate-confirmed director of the National Institutes of Health who is performing the delegable duties of CDC director, the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest ever recorded in the region and the third-largest globally, with over 1,100 confirmed cases.
**Escalated Response and Staffing Challenges**
On June 26, CDC escalated its Ebola response to a Level 1 activation, the highest level of emergency response reserved for critical emergencies. This activation means that CDC will assign the largest number of staff possible to work 24/7 on the response. Bhattacharya emphasized that the Ebola response “will likely last several months and requires substantial staffing.” He also noted that the coming months will require hard decisions about how to prioritize work, especially programmatic activities within CDC centers, institutes, and offices.
A prior internal meeting revealed that the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) expects the Ebola response to continue for another six to 12 months. An internal survey conducted by NCEZID found that 50% of respondents rated their workplace morale as “somewhat low” or “very low,” with staffing and budget being the dominant concerns.
**Historical Context and Current Operations**
This is not the first time CDC has reached a Level 1 activation. The last time was in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC also reached this level for the 2016 Zika virus outbreak, 2014 Ebola outbreak, 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The agency is currently also supporting responses to measles, New World Screwworm, and polio, while its Emergency Operations Center for the World Cup will remain active through July.
Despite having shed more than a quarter of its workforce last year—a net loss of more than 3,200 employees—CDC has hired less than 200 employees since the start of the second Trump administration. According to a federal workforce database, the agency is struggling to rebuild its staff amid ongoing emergencies.
**Strategic Planning and Recognition Programs**
CDC is pushing forward with the CDCReady Responder program, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, to develop a multidisciplinary task force for major health threats. As of July 2024, the program had about 2,750 employees enrolled. Supervisors are being urged to encourage staff to enroll and to approve Ebola response assignments promptly.
However, CDC is currently not offering time-off incentives for employees who have completed their frontline tour of duty. The Post-Deployment Time Off Award (PDTOA) program has been suspended by HHS. Supervisors are asked to use alternative forms of recognition in the meantime.
Slovenski, CDC’s new principal deputy director and chief operating officer, acknowledged the issue and is working to resolve it. He also mentioned that CDC is going through a strategic planning process to assess its staffing needs, but it is unlikely that the agency will pursue additional reductions in force.
**Contact Information**
For questions or comments regarding recent changes in the federal government, reporters may contact the reporter of this article at j***@federalnewsnetwork.com or via Signal at jheckman.29.
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*Original article published on Federal News Network, June 2025.*
*(Photo credit: Federal News Network)*
