The news of the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo brings back memories of the 2013-16 Ebola crisis in West Africa which was a shock to the whole world.
It highlighted the importance of investigating and responding to disease outbreaks before they become a global threat. The countries affected, namely Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, suffered major loss of life with a very high case fatality rate, as well as damage to their economy and infrastructure.