Spread too thin: Africa’s next Ebola outbreak episode artwork

EPISODE · May 19, 2026 · 21 MIN

Spread too thin: Africa’s next Ebola outbreak

from The Intelligence from The Economist

The latest Ebola emergency is different from previous ones: there is no vaccine, and the kind of community-level work that stops the spread has been thinned by aid cuts. Britain is likely to get a new prime minister soon; we profile Andy Burnham, the Labour party’s polling favourite. And celebrity book clubs abound—but useful criticism in them does not. Guests and host:John McDermott, chief Africa correspondentJoel Budd, social affairs editorCatherine Nixey, culture correspondentJason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”Topics covered: Ebola outbreak, West AfricaAndy Burnham, British politicscelebrities, book clubs, book industryGet a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest Ebola emergency is different from previous ones: there is no vaccine, and the kind of community-level work that stops the spread has been thinned by aid cuts. Britain is likely to get a new prime minister soon; we profile Andy Burnham, the Labour party’s polling favourite. And celebrity book clubs abound—but useful criticism in them does not. Guests and host:John McDermott, chief Africa correspondentJoel Budd, social affairs editorCatherine Nixey, culture correspondentJason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”Topics covered: Ebola outbreak, West AfricaAndy Burnham, British politicscelebrities, book clubs, book industryGet a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Spread too thin: Africa’s next Ebola outbreak

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This episode was published on May 19, 2026.

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The latest Ebola emergency is different from previous ones: there is no vaccine, and the kind of community-level work that stops the spread has been thinned by aid cuts. Britain is likely to get a new prime minister soon; we profile Andy Burnham,...

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