If Ebola has been eradicated throughout the world, why do two countries still have strains of the virus?

If Ebola has been eradicated throughout the world, why do two countries still have strains of the virus?

• A. To be able to respond to a terrorist threat
• B. To use as leverage with other countries
• C. To be able to create vaccines should another outbreak occur
• D. To use in research to determine how it spreads

Answer: (C)

The key idea is public health preparedness: even after a virus is eradicated, keeping controlled samples allows scientists to develop and update vaccines if a new outbreak happens. Having those strains on hand makes it possible to study the virus, test vaccines, and respond quickly to any re-emergence, rather than starting from scratch. This practical reason—having the material to create vaccines should another outbreak occur—is why this option is the best. The other ideas don’t fit as well. Using the virus for terrorism or as leverage isn’t a legitimate, ethical justification for preserving dangerous pathogens. Using it purely to study how it spreads is a research purpose, but the strongest and most directly useful reason in policy and practice is vaccine development and preparedness.

The key idea is public health preparedness: even after a virus is eradicated, keeping controlled samples allows scientists to develop and update vaccines if a new outbreak happens. Having those strains on hand makes it possible to study the virus, test vaccines, and respond quickly to any re-emergence, rather than starting from scratch. This practical reason—having the material to create vaccines should another outbreak occur—is why this option is the best.

The other ideas don’t fit as well. Using the virus for terrorism or as leverage isn’t a legitimate, ethical justification for preserving dangerous pathogens. Using it purely to study how it spreads is a research purpose, but the strongest and most directly useful reason in policy and practice is vaccine development and preparedness.