The CREID centers were involved in developing reagents and diagnostic tests, which have been lacking on the ground in the DRC. Public health agencies failed to spot early infections because the tests used were designed to detect the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, which was responsible for previous outbreaks in the DRC. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. CREID was likely a target because of its loose connections to the COVID-19 lab-leak theory espoused by President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. One of its original centers  was run by the EcoHealth Alliance, a former US nonprofit that became a flashpoint in conspiracy theories over the  origins of COVID-19  because of its ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Under Trump, the Department of Health and Human Services  permanently barred  EcoHealth Alliance from receiving taxpayer dollars in January 2025.…