About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa on U.S. preparedness for future biological threats.

This episode unpacks how a major Ebola outbreak in Central Africa exposed critical gaps in global health surveillance and assesses U.S. preparedness for future biological threats. Host: James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR Guest: Thomas J. Bollyky, Bloomberg Chair in Global Health; Senior Fellow for International Economics, Law, and Development; and Director of the Global Health Program We Discuss: The current state of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, and why the case count was already high by the time authorities reported it. Why governments are often slow to report cases during outbreaks, and what delayed reporting may have cost in this instance. Why the WHO has discouraged trade and travel restrictions. How the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO is shaping a more limited response. Whether China is stepping in to fill the global health leadership gap left by U.S. institutional withdrawal. What the politicization of mRNA vaccine technology means for the U.S. ability to respond to future outbreaks that require rapid vaccine deployment. How artificial intelligence creates opportunities to accelerate global health…

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