Ebola: Same Virus, New Rules

This episode covers the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, now the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded. We compare it to the more familiar Zaire strain and to the 2014 West Africa outbreak, looking at what's different about this virus and how it's spreading. We also examine how the global public health response has evolved since 2014, and where old gaps and failures are still showing up.

This episode was recorded in early summer 2026. The current outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus continues to evolve and details may have changed

Guests:

Dr Michael Osterholm, Regents Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of MinnesotaDr. Mark Kortepeter, a physician who spent nearly three decades in Army biodefenseDr Tom Carpino, Hock Fellow at the Duke Global Health Institute at Duke University