# The Outbreak We Should Have Seen Coming

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/paul-talks-science-7078474/the-outbreak-we-should-have-seen-coming
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/paul-talks-science-7078474/the-outbreak-we-should-have-seen-coming.md
Podcast: [Paul Talks Science](https://stenobird.com/podcast/paul-talks-science-7078474)
Published: 2026-06-01T03:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paul-talks-science/episodes/The-Outbreak-We-Should-Have-Seen-Coming-e3k5ceq
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/f816aa78/podcast/play/120811418/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-31%2F425249143-44100-2-96eea8f73cde7.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/paul-talks-science-7078474/episodes/the-outbreak-we-should-have-seen-coming
Duration seconds: 627

## Resource

In this episode, Paul Adepoju speaks with infectious disease expert Dr Amesh Adalja about why the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is exposing gaps the world should have closed long ago. While Ebola vaccines have transformed response to some outbreaks, most countermeasure development has focused on Ebola Zaire, leaving rarer but still deadly filoviruses such as Bundibugyo, Sudan and Marburg with fewer tools ready when they are needed. Adalja explains why outbreak preparedness keeps falling into cycles of panic and neglect, what mRNA technology could realistically change, and why a broader viral-family approach may be essential for the next generation of vaccines and treatments. The conversation builds on Paul’s Scientific American report, “ Vaccines for Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Outbreak Are Being Developed, but None Are Ready Yet ,” which examines how the current outbreak has renewed questions about vaccine readiness, political will and the cost of waiting until a virus is already spreading. This is a conversation about the outbreak we should have seen coming — and what it will take to stop being surprised by the next one.

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## Transcript

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