A new Ebola outbreak, driven by a rare strain of the virus, has struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The rapid rise in cases and deaths suggests that the virus had been circulating for some time before the alarm was raised. So why wasn’t it detected sooner? And have recent international aid cuts made us more vulnerable to outbreaks of infectious diseases? 

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Paul Hunter, professor in medicine, University of East Anglia. 

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Micaela Arneson, Julia Webster.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: ‘There are bodies everywhere’: ghost of ebola returns to haunt Congo

Further listening: How the hantavirus cruise ship nightmare unfolded - The Saturday Story

Clips: PBS, AFP.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.