SUMMARY

Health officials are racing to contain a rapidly expanding outbreak of Ebola in Africa. At least 116 suspected deaths and more than 300 other cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda. The CDC says an American medical missionary has contracted the disease. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Dr. Craig Spencer, who contracted Ebola during a 2014 outbreak.

View the transcript of the story.

NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Where has Ebola virus begun to spread?
2. Who is Dr. Craig Spencer, and what is his background?
3. What concerns Dr. Spencer the most about the current spread of Ebola?
4. How have federal officials in the United States responded to the outbreak?
5. When was there previously a major outbreak of Ebola in the Congo, and what is different about the current outbreak than the previous outbreaks?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• What role do you think the United States should have in monitoring and preventing the spread of disease in other countries?
• Why do you think controlling the Ebola virus is difficult for public officials to contain?

Media literacy: Why do you think the News Hour chose to focus on the spread of a disease on another continent?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

Watch the following News Hour interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci from 2018, when doctors were racing to develop vaccines for the Ebola virus. Then as a class, discuss the following —

• What most surprised you about this segment?
• How do you think the challenges of public health have changed since the COVID-19 epidemic?
• Compare Dr. Spencer's interview with Dr. Fauci's. What similarities do you see between the challenges they identify? What was different?

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