NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Since April, cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of June 6, there were eight probable and confirmed cases, which were associated with four deaths. Thanks to the rapid and effective response coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, the outbreak appears to have been brought under control.

That’s a huge relief. But does that mean our toolbox is indeed adequately equipped to combat the virus? What if EVD, which kills 25 to 90 percent of those who become infected, again spread like wildfire? To address these questions, the story of China’s efforts to develop anti-Ebola drugs is illustrative of the opportunities and challenges we face in ensuring global health security.