Skip to main content

The fight against Ebola

Healthcare workers wearing PPE and carrying hazardous waste bags in front of a map of Africa with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda highlighted in red

Presented jointly with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

This conversation was recorded on June 22, 2026

As the number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda climb, health infrastructure and resources are stretched thin. The outbreak response is complicated by conflict, remote terrain, and population movement. With no vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, surveillance, cross-border coordination, and community engagement is key. Leaders from WHO and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies discussed the challenges of the current response and what the fight against Ebola reveals about humanitarian aid and global health security.

SPEAKERS

Marie Roseline Belizaire, Emergencies Director for WHO Africa and WHO Incident Manager for the Ebola (BVD) Outbreak

Petra Khoury, Director of Health and Care Department at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

MODERATOR

Phuong Pham, Director of Education, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

About The Author


Last Updated

Get the latest public health news

Stay connected with Harvard Chan School