There was a fascinating interview in the Observer this weekend (via Der Spiegel) with Professor Peter Piot, current head of the world-renowned London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - and, more appositely, co-discoverer of the ebola virus.

Apart from the unusual insight and a few frankly hair-raising stories of dropped vials, broken glass and thermoses full of nun’s blood, the interview is remarkable for Piot’s informed view on the scale of the current ebola threat, and the humanitarian requirements of a suitable response.  

Among other things, he covers:

- How ebola was first discovered, and his own field work in DR Congo (then Zaire) in the late 70s
- Protective measures then and now
- How the virus was named
- How hospitals and health facilities can help spread rather than contain the virus - and measures that need to be taken to prevent this
- The comparative threats of Ebola and HIV/AIDS
- Why WHO reacted so slowly to this epidemic
- What could happen if the current epidemic took hold in the megacities of Nigeria, and the risks of outbreak in India
- What can really be done in a situation when anyone can become infected on the streets and “even the taxis are contaminated”?
- Viral mutations that could make ebola even more dangerous
- His views on the use of experimental drugs, and the vaccines currently in development

END

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/04/ebola-zaire-peter-piot-outb...