A Deadly Ebola-Like Virus Is Spreading. Are We Ready?
A growing outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has highlighted significant gaps in global health preparedness. Experts warn that focusing only on high-profile diseases leaves health systems vulnerable to rare but deadly hemorrhagic fevers.
Why it matters
Improving response times and diagnostic capabilities for rare viruses is critical to preventing regional outbreaks from becoming global health crises.
BU virologist Nancy Sullivan says the Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo underscores the need for broader outbreak preparedness.
The death of a nurse marked the moment health officials recognized that something dangerous was spreading. The illness was Bundibugyo virus , a rare but potentially deadly infection now driving a growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and exposing how poorly prepared health systems can be for diseases that receive little attention between emergencies.
Boston University professor Nancy Sullivan examines that vulnerability in a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine . She argues that the outbreak should serve as a warning: planning cannot focus only on the infectious threats most likely to make headlines.
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