The COVID-19 outbreak is affecting countries, people and projects around the globe. It’s one of several deadly diseases the world has faced in recent years. Dr. Ranu Dhillon, a faculty member at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, served as the special adviser to the president of Guinea during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. He discusses creating strategies to control the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, collaborating with organizations in other countries to adapt strategies and the toll fighting an epidemic can take. Dr. Dhillon also talks about the value of early detection and how that can be applied to the coronavirus.

Key themes 

[02:55] Strategizing to fight the Ebola outbreak in Guinea

[06:49] The emotional and physical toll of fighting an epidemic 

[10:22] Lesson learned: The value of early detection 

[13:23] Testing challenges for the coronavirus