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Ebola Update, Aug 7: Q and A with Joanne Liu
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On the news.
May 23, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, spoke to Global News the day the WHO raised its Ebola risk assessment to "very high" for the DRC. Liu noted that new US travel restrictions on travellers from affected regions are not aligned with WHO or International Health Regulation guidance. She argued that enhanced exit screening from the DRC and stronger support for the Congolese response are the most effective way to limit international spread.
May 21, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, was quoted in The Canadian Press in a piece on Canadian aid workers heading into the DRC Ebola response. Liu noted that contact tracing has uncovered chains of transmission that are not connected to one another, which indicates the virus has been circulating for some time. With population mobility in the mining zones compounded by armed conflict that has displaced more than 100,000 people in recent months, Liu said the region has "all the mix for a big outbreak."
May 17, 2026 | Joanne Liu spoke to TVA Nouvelles as the case count from the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC's Ituri province climbed to 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths. While the DRC has substantial experience with Ebola, the mining cities at the epicentre sit close to South Sudan and Uganda and host highly mobile populations. Liu also flagged that cuts to foreign aid have slowed the laboratory strengthening needed to confirm cases at the speed required.
May 12, 2026 | Veasna Duong, Senior Investigator at PERL, spoke to Global News on how Canadians can reduce hantavirus exposure while opening cottages or doing spring cleaning. Duong walked through the household conditions that draw rodents into attics and sheds, and emphasized that UV light breaks the virus down. "The virus cannot survive for a long time under sunlight. UV will kill the virus."
February 6, 2026 | PERL's Deputy Director, , joined CBC News to explain why Canada needs to rethink how it prepares for crises. She explains PERL's goal in breaking the "panic-neglect" cycle that leaves societies unprepared for the next emergency, whether that be pandemics, climate disasters, or new unknown threats. PERL focuses on building systems that strengthen readiness and resilience, no matter what comes next.
February 3, 2026 | Director , joined to discuss PERL's mission. She explains that "What we see is that these crises, which often overlap, really create a ripple and multiplier effect on the impact on health systems and society." Dr. Liu designed the lab on the premise that the next crisis won't wait for us to be ready; rather, we need to identify best practices.
May 22, 2026 | Joanne Liu spoke to the Montreal Gazette about the Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the DRC and Uganda. While reassuring Quebecers that the risk of local transmission is "fairly low," Liu pressed the Canadian government to act on a concrete and immediate ask: send the personal protective equipment currently sitting in Canadian warehouses to help frontline responders in Africa, where PPE supplies are running out.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
May 17, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, was featured in La Presse alongside Dr. François Lamontagne to explain the WHO's "international health emergency" declaration for the DRC Ebola outbreak. Liu noted that Bundibugyo is the least-studied of the major Ebola variants, with only two prior outbreaks documented before this one. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the strain, and she added that the current outbreak, the largest on record, could open the door to research advances.
May 17, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, joined to discuss the WHO's declaration of a public health emergency of international concern for the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC's Ituri province. Liu flagged a concerning feature: confirmed cases across three health zones are not linked to a single transmission chain, suggesting multiple independent outbreaks. She also warned that the 2025 dismantling of USAID has left Ituri's internally displaced population of 273,000 with fewer resources to absorb the crisis.
February 6, 2026 | covered the February 3 launch of the Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab (PERL), led by Director Joanne Liu. The piece outlines PERL's mission to bring a practitioner mindset into the academic ecosystem and to help leaders act more effectively when crises strike. As Liu put it at the launch: "Science is under attack, policies are being diluted, and data are fragmented. We need to fight back against this spiral of vulnerability."
February 3, 2026 | Whether the next emergency is a pandemic, wildfire, or another global shock, , told the that preparedness must occur before disaster strikes. . , also highlighted PERL’s work on countering misinformation through frontline providers and building a civilian surge-capacity model. As she put it, “You can have all the science in the world, but if people don’t trust the science, you’re in trouble.”
January 30, 2026 | Dr. joined to discuss the importance of strengthening preparedness systems and policies for future health emergencies. Dr. Liu emphasized the importance of collaboration across sectors, "We want to be there for Canadians and partner with both the public and private sectors. Building strong partnerships is key to tackling any emergency or crisis we may face in the future."
On the radio.
Joanne Liu in Radio-Canada Q&A: "All the Ingredients for Things to Go Badly" | Radio-Canada
Image: Dr. Joanne Liu. Photo: Radio-Canada / Nicolas Vincent-Bouchard
May 22, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, was interviewed by Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski for Radio-Canada on the DRC Ebola outbreak, its risk factors, and the speed of the international response. Liu noted that the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern just two days after the Bundibugyo strain was confirmed, compared to six months for the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic and several weeks for COVID-19. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus did not convene an emergency committee before deciding, which Liu described as unprecedented and a sign that the warning signs were serious enough to bypass standard procedure.
Joanne Liu on the Ebola Outbreak's Rapid Spread Across Eleven Health Zones | 95.7 KYK Le Show du Matin
May 21, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, joined Tania Clouston and Dominick Fortin on 95.7 KYK's Le Show du Matin as the DRC Ebola outbreak expanded from three health zones at the time of the WHO emergency declaration to eleven health zones, with cases now reported in the neighbouring province of North Kivu. The outbreak has reached an estimated 600 cases and 139 deaths. Liu also emphasized that solidarity must work in both directions: Canada should support the response, and Congolese residents in the affected regions should avoid non-essential travel to limit cross-border spread.
Joanne Liu on Why the DRC Ebola Response Is Strained by Aid Cuts | Radio-Canada Par ici l'info
May 20, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, spoke to Radio-Canada's Par ici l'info as the DRC Ebola outbreak reached 131 deaths. Liu pointed out that the death of at least four healthcare workers signals the virus has been circulating for some time, and that losing them removes what she calls the "last line of defense" against further spread. She also noted that the US dismantling of the CDC has weakened the coordinated response the agency previously led on the ground, while Canada and other wealthy countries reduced humanitarian aid budgets in 2025 and 2026.
Joanne Liu on Why Closing Borders Would Backfire in the DRC Ebola Response | 98.5 Lagacé le matin
Image: A health worker measures the temperature of a father and son in Kampala, Uganda, on Monday. Photo: AP / Hajarah Nalwadda
May 19, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, spoke to Patrick Lagacé on 98.5's Lagacé le matin about the DRC Ebola outbreak, now at an estimated 500 suspected cases and over 100 deaths. Asked about the US decision to impose border controls on travellers from affected regions, Liu said local screening is appropriate but warned against the temptation to close borders altogether. In past outbreaks, closures pushed people to cross undetected and produced more invisible transmission, not less. She added that the most effective protection for Canadians is to help the DRC contain the outbreak at its source.
Joanne Liu on the "Explosive Cocktail" Behind the DRC's Ebola Crisis | Radio-Canada Tout un matin
May 18, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, returned to Radio-Canada's Tout un matin with Patrick Masbourian the day after the WHO's emergency declaration, with the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC now at 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths. Liu described what she called an "explosive cocktail" of factors driving the spread, including mining-town epicentres with mobile populations close to the Uganda and South Sudan borders, and active armed conflict that limits medical access. She renewed her call for Canada to contribute to the response.
Dr. Joanne Liu on CBC's The Current on the DRC Ebola outbreak and why travel bans miss the point. "If we don't want cases to come here, it's by making sure it's under control where it's happening right now."
May 22, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, spoke to Radio-Canada's C'est encore mieux l'après-midi as the DRC Ebola outbreak nearly tripled in less than a week, climbing to 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths. Liu noted that the official numbers still likely understate the true scale, with transmission chains in the region not connecting to one another. She called on Canada to help expand laboratory capacity for case confirmation and to support on-the-ground clinical trials of vaccines and treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.
Joanne Liu on Canada's Stockpiled PPE and Pre-Positioned Evacuation Plans | Radio-Canada Midi info
May 21, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, spoke to Alec Castonguay on Radio-Canada's Midi info the day after an Air France flight from Paris was diverted to Montreal because of US Ebola travel restrictions. With the DRC outbreak now at an estimated 600 cases and 139 deaths and no patient zero identified, Liu said the virus has likely been circulating for several weeks. She called on Canada to ship its COVID-era PPE stockpile to the DRC before it expires, and to put medical evacuation arrangements in place for Canadians abroad before they are needed.
Joanne Liu on Why This Ebola Is Different | CBC The Current
May 20, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, joined Matt Galloway on CBC's The Current for a segment titled "Why this Ebola is different." Drawing on her experience leading Médecins Sans Frontières through the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, Liu warned that the DRC outbreak has the same "toxic mix" she saw then. The epicentre sits in a mining city with a mobile population near the intersection of three borders, and the region has active armed conflict over mineral resources that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Multiple transmission chains are no longer connected to one another, signalling the virus has been circulating widely for some time.
Joanne Liu on Why Ebola and Hantavirus Are Not a Coincidence | Radio-Canada Ça nous regarde
May 19, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, joined Radio-Canada's Ça nous regarde for an update on the DRC Ebola outbreak. Asked whether the simultaneous emergence of Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks is coincidence, Liu argued there is a pattern at work, with increased human pressure on environmental ecosystems putting people in contact with viral reservoirs they would not otherwise encounter. She also renewed her call for Canada to ship stockpiled PPE to support the response in the DRC.
Joanne Liu on the PERL Launch and Why Empathy Must Anchor Pandemic Communication | Radio-Canada Tout un matin
February 3, 2026 | Joanne Liu, PERL Director, joined Radio-Canada's on the morning of the lab's launch to discuss its mission and its focus on countering disinformation. Reflecting on the COVID-19 response, Liu argued that public health messaging too often defaulted to a "with me or against me" posture rather than listening to people's concerns and meeting them with evidence and empathy. She said the lab aims to build preparedness protocols that let responders act on evidence rather than improvise in a crisis.
January 30, 2026 | Dr. Joanne Liu, MDCM, FRCPC joined CBC/Radio-Canada to discuss the importance of strengthening preparedness systems and policies for future health emergencies. Dr. Liu emphasized the importance of collaboration across sectors, "We want to be there for Canadians and partner with both the public and private sectors. Building strong partnerships is key to tackling any emergency or crisis we may face in the future."