Fifty years after Ebola was first identified, researchers say the world has made significant scientific progress, yet many of the same public health challenges hinder outbreak response.
Published July 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the perspective reflects on lessons learned since the virus was discovered in 1976 and argues that investment in preparedness, equitable partnerships and community trust is essential to improve responses to future outbreaks.
“The current outbreak gave us an opportunity to look back at where we’ve been over the past 50 years and ask what lessons we’ve actually learned,” said Jean B. Nachega, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health and senior author of the perspective. “Half a century after Ebola was first identified, we still lack an approved vaccine or effective treatment for Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the species responsible for the current outbreak.”
Although effective vaccines and treatments exist for the more common Zaire strain of Ebola virus, none have been approved for the Bundibugyo virus, the strain responsible for the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
According to the authors, the lack of medical countermeasures underscores the importance of investing in research before—not during—public health emergencies.
“Preparedness starts long before an outbreak begins,” Nachega said. “It means investing in vaccines and treatments, strengthening health systems, building trust within communities and creating equitable research partnerships before a crisis occurs.”
The perspective outlined eight key lessons from Ebola’s history, including recognizing the pioneering contributions of African clinicians and scientists, strengthening community engagement, empowering local leadership and sustaining investments in surveillance, laboratory capacity and clinical research between outbreaks.
Nachega also said the current outbreak underscores how conflict and fragile health systems complicate response efforts, making it more difficult to safely care for patients, trace contacts and control transmission.
“Community trust is just as important as vaccines or treatments,” Nachega said. “When communities understand what’s happening and trust the people responding to the outbreak, public health measures such as contact tracing, isolation and safe burials become much more effective.”
Despite challenges, Nachega said he is optimistic that the current outbreak can be contained if governments and international partners strength the response.
“We don’t want this outbreak to become another prolonged epidemic,” he said. “Although we are seeing encouraging progress each week, sustained investment, strong political commitment and coordinated international action remain essential to interrupt transmission and better prepare for future outbreaks.”
Other authors of the perspective include Alimuddin Zumla, MD, PhD, of University College London and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Francine Ntoumi, PhD, of the Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale and the University of Tübingen; Nicaise Ndembi, PhD, of the International Vaccine Institute Africa Regional Office; Sabue Mulangu, MD, DTM&H, PhD, of Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale and the University of Kinshasa School of Medicine; Peter Piot, MD, PhD, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; and Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, MD, PhD, of the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale and the University of Kinshasa School of Medicine.
-Ava Dzurenda