Notre Dame Associate Professor of Anthropology and Peace Studies Catherine Bolten is an expert on Ebola. She was a member of the international Ebola Anthropology Emergency Task Force, and edited a special issue on Ebola for Anthropological Quarterly. She has consulted for the United Nations World Food Programme and Physicians for Social Responsibility, and has conducted extensive fieldwork on ethnobotany, eco-tourism, and development in Botswana.  

Her initial comments on the latest Ebola outbreak in Congo's Équateur province are below.

"It seems almost lucky that a report was made and confirmed with only four deaths thus far. Considering the high mortality rate from infectious diseases in Congo in general, this seems to be a potential light in our dark world at the moment--that we do have the capacity to learn, remember, and act. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that they get it under control quickly. It should also be an object lesson to the U.S. of the importance of funding for the WHO, which is taking the lead."