When the COVID-19 pandemic eventually passes ( and it will ), we will need to take a serious look at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) and its role in the crisis as well as the CDC’s relationship with the World Health Organization ( WHO )

In recent years, the credibility and reputation of the CDC has taken some major hits, most notably its slow response to the much more deadly Ebola panic of 2014. Despite the appallingly-high death rate associated with Ebola ( up to 90% in some cases ), the CDC dragged its feet in responding to the 2014 outbreak in West Africa. The agency’s initial guidelines were considered too lax and were rejected by 21 states which opted for more restrictive policies, like three-week mandatory quarantines on all health workers returning from West Africa.

Then Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina condemned the CDC’s failure to provide “accurate, timely, complete, thorough information to the public.” Tom Friedan, CDC Director at the time, was widely criticized for opposing a travel ban to countries impacted by Ebola.