Why Ebola is No Longer a Great Global Threat

A good news story about vaccines

On 12 May 2018 in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a health worker at Bikoro Hospital, the epicenter of the latest Ebola outbreak in the DRC. (Credit: WHO)

You will no doubt remember the devastating Ebola outbreak of 2014–2016. More than 28,600 people were infected, and 11,325 people died across several countries in West Africa. One of the hardest-hit places was Sierra Leone, where nearly 4,000 people lost their lives.

In the years since, scientists and civil society advocates have raced to develop and implement a vaccine to protect against future outbreaks. That vaccine works—and works well. It was tested during outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is now being deployed proactively to protect at-risk populations, including frontline health workers. This includes Sierra Leone, where the vaccine is being rolled out to 20,000 frontline workers so they can protect their communities and the world from the next outbreak.

My guest today, Allyson Russell, is at the forefront of …