Can Ebola be wiped out?

It is the largest ever outbreak of Ebola after the 2014 epidemic in West Africa.

And the spread of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached a critical point.

The World Health Organization has now declared this latest flare-up a public health emergency of international concern.

That rare move could boost global attention and encourage more aid.

Almost one year into the crisis, more than 2,500 people have been infected in the region and at least 1,600 have died.

The first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in eastern DRC’s largest city, Goma, on the border with Rwanda, died earlier this week, raising concerns the virus may be spreading beyond the country’s borders.

Given the resurgence of the disease, has enough been done to stop it?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests: 

Mercedes Tatay – International medical secretary at Doctors Without Borders

Derek Gatherer – Virologist and a lecturer at Lancaster University

Ghislain Muhiwa – Community organiser