Three months after Ebola was first declared in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the outbreak continues to expand, with cases and deaths rising across the region. What began in the Mongbwalu health zone of Ituri Province spread to 53 health zones spanning Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo provinces, becoming the largest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history and the second largest ever recorded worldwide.

William “Billy” Fischer II, MD, director of emerging pathogens for the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, and an associate professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, deployed to the outbreak in June, through the World Health Organization. He recently returned, by way of travel to Germany with an infected patient, followed by a quarantine in Switzerland.

In this special lecture, Dr. Fischer will share insights from his work on the front lines, with an update on the current state of preparedness and control efforts. Through years of collaboration on outbreak preparedness and response, Dr. Fischer, with Dr. David Wohl, are strengthening UNC Health’s readiness to respond to emerging threats should a disease outbreak ever occur.