“There is more spending on defense and less spending on global health or public health or health security, which makes us vulnerable… because the invisible enemy can be more influential. Imagine, have you ever seen a war in recent memory in which 20 million people died? Why can’t we come to our senses?” Justin Webb talks to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, about the invisible threat of the virus and the rapid spread of a new strain of Ebola. Tedros recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo where this latest outbreak began. It is particularly challenging because it involves a rare strain of Ebola for which there is no vaccine, and the epicenter is in an area affected by conflict. There are similar cases in neighboring Uganda also. The WHO director-general claims governments are focusing too much on defense spending, and he makes an impassioned appeal for countries to allocate more money to global health and prevent future pandemics. Thank you to the TODAY team for helping create this program. Interviews brings you conversations with the people shaping our world from around the world. The best of the BBC interviews, including episodes with International Rescue Committee president David Miliband, former Sudanese leader Aisha Musa and author Maggie O’Farrell. You can listen on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 0800 GMT on the BBC World Service. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get podcasts. Presenter: Justine Webb Producer: Cordelia Hemming Editor: Damon Rose Contact us by email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Credit: Reuters)
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