Zinke. I approved this message. Next, a conversation with microsoft cofounder bill gates on the ebola epidemic. Aan more at the outbreak with look at the u. S. Response. And a forum examines what the u. S. Is doing to prevent cyberattacks. Bill gates says he disagrees with the assessment that the u. S. And International Community responded to slowly to the a bola ebola of break. Outbreak. 50foundation donated million. This is under one hour. I thank you so much. Were delighted to be partnering with bank of america and to kick off this series, i cant think of anyone better or more timely to have a conversation with than bill gates. We so appreciate you joining us this morning and to all of you who are here. Were going to start off in a way thats unlikely but i think absolutely fitting topic, which is the subject of ebola and the spreading crisis in africa and potentially beyond africa. Potentially beyond africa. Recently foundation announced it is donating 50 million to help with the response. Of us think about whats happening with the disease and the spread of it, we have to ask questions that really relate to leadership, right . Health its our global institutions, whether its individual countryings and their country countries, and lack thereof to respond. Mr. Gates, obviously you spent the last, really, more than a decade, focused on Global Health challenges in africa. Here comes a big crisis of the sort that weve been worrying about and warning about. Role of you feel the individual leadership and global indership comes into play this crisis . Well, i think ebola is a great example of where the world really needs to come together. The three countries where this place have had a lot of civil war, very weak Health Systems. Ebola had never shown up in west africa before. Did take a while for people to understand, okay, weve got ebola here. And even that eventually what we saw was a very unique ebola epidemic. There have been over a dozen, and theyve all been, you could the like bushfires, with right, a little bit of pressure, getting medical workers in, people to not with the people who have it or as theyre burying the people who die from it. Bigyet here it got into a city, and it is an incredible challenge. Is now putting their resources in. Went over there, personally the and saw the head of cdc, and hes the one who really said, no, this is a different ebola epidemic. And now everybody is galvanizing to get behind this. Impressiveis quite whats being pulled together. I do think well be able to get control. R we need to maker sure it doesnt make sure it doesnt spread out to other parts of africa. Then we need to get it under control in these three locations. Theres a pretty clear road map done. T needs to be our foundation is particularly involved in a few of the locations, like in nigeria, been a bigres investment in polio eradication of havingole idea expertise and how you orchestrate medical personnel, polio resources and the helpfulssons are very here. In fact, the reason that it got stopped in two of the countries, nigeria and senegal, is because people with polio were pulled acted quickly, money from us and others was pulled in. Bethe next few months will tense. Every day, theres tons of emails flying about how can people quickly can people get in, can we get the tools. Theres an overall approach now. The u. S. , as usual on world up, both is stepping in terms of the science, the understanding and now the u. S. Logistic ability to get supplies in and create field hospitals that are critical. Mr. Gates, what an honor to have you here. Had a great conversation last year at bank of america. Booze thiseres no time. But you say that morning. 8 00 in the [laughter] its 5 00 somewhere. Mobilizing nowd and were going to get this under control. Story of has a great politico this morning, the ebola leadership gap. How late everyone has been, the private sector, governments. Why did it get so far out of control . Well, i suppose its thats the easiest article to theres awhen financial crisis or well, an algorithm for predicting the future, all new things, that article is great. The im pretty impressed with how quickly people have stepped up on this. Ideally, you would have decent in all ofalth care africa. Its far better today throughout because of a variety of things, including money thats build up systems. U. S. Aid has gone in to build up systems. These three countries, partly because of civil war, have not gotten there. So because ebola was never seen in this area before, and because Health Care System didnt report it, and because burial practice, the touching of disease, makes the spread far more forcefully, it percolated long, you know, in the may, june time frame. You have anjuly did urban case. Then, in august, the numbers started to jump up. And thats when everybody said, okay, this is quite, quite unique. We had done a grant in july. We did one in august. Got the nigeria thing organized. Late augustid to before the world saw this as a very unique ebola crisis. Joe moore, why should you care . What does it mean to the u. S. Now and in coming years . Well, epidemics like this, far better to stop them before they spread to lots and lots of countries. And the tragedy here is both the ebola deaths but also the civil unrest. What happens when you have people panicking about an epidemic is that the entire Health System shuts down. Die of people will malaria, pneumonia, not having hospital services. Type ofh toll from this shutdown is because of a huge diseases. And so we should all care a lot that that does not spread to and lots of locations. If the right thing hadnt been done in nigeria to catch it in bud, youd have a city with people and youd have a complete disaster and lots and lots of panic. So i think we should care about the people there. Economies there. And the u. S. Impact is the one the cdc that can figure these things out, playing a central role. That can go inmy there with the logistics and the medical understanding. Lookingnew tools were at in terms of vaccines and and diagnostics, its all stuff that the primary funder, in general the particular things they can beke pulled together pretty quickly u. S. Investment and innovation type things. For me, this is one of the great causes, one of the two causes that Harcourt Foundation has picked. Lives, making sure that not only do you get rid of the death but kids can grow up in a healthy way, you know. To us, its a very central thing. But the key actor is the United States and the investments that, in a way, this country has stood behind for literally decades. Can i ask you about institutions . You talked about the infrastructure that already existed on polio, thanks in part to the work that youve done, when able to swing over theres a crisis and to respond. Obviously not all of these countries have that infrastructure. Look at awhen you crisis like this, do you see it as being one where you have to, effect, preposition your success . You need infrastructure, you function,tutions that versus politics . Where do politics come into play, both in successfully dealing with Something Like this or not, as the case may be . Every countrylike to be selfsufficient so that, both in terms of running a good primary Health Care System and funding a good primary Health Care System, its all okay and they just participate in regional bodies that have deal withpacity to these things. Africa, of all the places in the furthest behind on being able to do that. Through aid, health and Health Africa have improved very, very dramatically. Death is downood by over half in africa as a the year 2000 and now. Acceleration. N the economist just had a good piece on this, on the fiveeration over the last years, as people got more focused on this, one of those measurable Millennial Development goals. I think theres probably about years here where there will be some countries in africa that them up. O help lift the ongoing rate of bad health there is very high. Over half a million kids a year malaria. And ebola isnt going to get to malariaf Something Like or hiv, because i do think were stepping up and well respond. Those things, you know, through medical research, through generosity, those things will also come under control. How youll be able to move all these african countries middleincome status. It wont happen overnight. Slowly but surely africa is no longer much of an outlyer as it was in the past. This is your first interview on ebola since the outbreak. But youve been engaged in washington on Global Health for years. People assume washington is itsly broken down but your view that washington actually has shown leadership press hasnt really covered. The phenomenal generosity of the United States aid budget towards Health Issues is the best in the world. You can look at that broadly. It in terms of the hiv, the money which came in a Republican Administration with bipartisan support. Increased under this administration. Fortunately, its one of the few that there really is a strong consensus on, getting these kids helping support polio erad yaition. Erad eradication. We get senators or congressmen to go out to africa happened with malaria, to see what weve been with Health Systems, people come back very proud of the uplifting thats taking place there. There hashas been been consensus and the money has gone up as people have seen the success. Of those very measurable things. This isnt, oh, theyre in tough shape. Well just shovel money over there and maybe something good will happen. You can in this case, follow the vaccines and you can follow the polio cases. Ebola, we wont be able to run i guarantee you it would be very different. Ago,ng there a few weeks will the president invoke all the resources of the u. S. . Fact he did. I was thrilled about that. Finally. No, i wouldnt say finally. There some other government who took Decisive Action before we did . Data really clear . Was there somebody, a cdc equivalent, who flew in and personally toured all these things . Whosere someone else research will give us the vaccine to make sure this doesnt happen again . The u. S. Is the leader in being able to move into areas like help out. We have a lot of other countriesthat do countries to step up. That u. S. Military capability, being able to move gettingly as they do, people in and out, and being able to say to medical workers, there will beere, an evacuation capable thats why the recruitment is giving us the where we can get Treatment Centers. If the Treatment Centers are full and youre saying to go back into your community. Anyone. To touch then the epidemic then theyll move around. Infect lots more people. The reputation of the Treatment Center is thats where you go, there is capacity, it increases your chance of surviving, and if you do, your body isay dealt with will match cultural processes. When we get there, this will start to drop. Were not there yet. The u. S. Capability, the polio resources, thats why i think we are going to get on top of this. Thing ivethe nicest heard about washington in a long time. [laughter] susan . Was going to be my point. Historic lows at a in its approval ratings. We didnt think it could go any lower. Its an election year. There might be consensus around aspects of Global Health. But in reality, support for foreign aid and your team has a lot about how to change that theres a diminishing feel on the part of to remain engaged internationally. How do you fight that, number 1, and number 2, are there ways in bech you found your goals to frustrated by the gridlock here in washington . Well, the gridlock is very concerning. I think theres a lot of issues, know, immigration, increasing energy on the budget. Are things that i think should be happening. Investment inour medical research should be allowed to tail off like it has to. Allowed so even in some of these great bit worrying. I dont think the term foreign aid is going to be easy to salvage. If people just think of that term, then all the money that we the cold war to back our bad guys, where we didnt really pay any attention, measure any outcome check,ter we sent that you know, to see, did he build good palaces, was he having a time . [laughter] probably probably not redeemable. Talking about this aid and the that can bees, successful. Thats why getting as many americans, not just politicians, but as many out to see this in action, having them come back ourtell the story, thats best tool, is the truth about the reality of how tough things yet how much theyre improving. Over a quarter of the aid budget related. Health basicmalaria, polio, health infrastructure. Were asking that there be a the vaccinease in money out of that budget. Theres a new round of raising for this lobby that finances the vaccine for these very poor countries. When you talk to people in those and you talk about literally saving lives for very small amounts of money and getting these countries on a path to selfsufficiency, then strong response. Story. Have to tell that and its got to compete with other budget priorities. Want to involve all of you in this conversation about lessons from leaders. Colleaguesy politico have microphones. Ast signal if you have question. Mr. Gates, who are a couple of leaders who you admire, living or dead . Inwell, theres leaders science, people who really like richards out, fineman or people who work on ofcines, you know, tons people working on hiv vaccines. Theres leaders in business, buffet, whowarren got, you know, a certain approach they take that is pretty amazing. Theres product innovators, like steve jobs was, where he gets and does ancept fantastic job. There are people out in the field, you know, whose names we wont know. There are several hundred people who stayed in the ebolaaffected countries and continued to do the work, put themselves at great risk because medical the most likely to be infected, because theyre person is hen a when a Persons Health is quite aating, including bit of bleeding as theyre getting very sick. Many domains of heros. Ive gotten to work with people like warren buffet. Sat and talked to and learned from them. Mandela, i got to meet a few times. He was trying to get the aids acknowledge itto and step up and do the right thing. Its pretty amazing, the great scientists or people in the field or leaders that i get to sit and talk with. So to take warren buffet or nelson mandela, can you point to that would help young people that want to be managers,ers, great great innovators . Well, mandela told people something they didnt expect to him, which is that revenge and evening the score of theyd been treated was not in their interest and that even way it was certain completely unjust, that the country had to move forward, it to embrace everybody who lived there, it had to figure out how to have an economy that lifted everybody up. You would not have predicted such a nonviolent transition of literally the building that the government that theis the one most popular song that the nc had was how they were going to up that building. Mandela worked in the building that he was saying about blowing of times. Ly hundreds thats somebody getting you to step back and think, okay, were in this together, in a way thatwithout his presence, just wouldnt have happened. So as much as youve had this on institution building, thats what i wanted to ask you, is about this question of where play, bothmes into in a positive sense, like mandela, but im thinking about and pakistanmpaign in the last few years, and the politicsat comes when defeats institutions or even investment of resources. What can you do about those work . Nges to your well, we definitely run in the polio campaign, we ran into a huge number of problems. Groups thaterrorist have kind of a nihilistic view towards medicines or vaccines, that both nigeria and pakistan, literally targeted polio vaccinators and gone out and killed them. Continuect that people to volunteer to step out and get those vaccines out there is truly a truly amazing thing. We think were very close to on polio. We havent had any violent events for the last six months. We do have unrest. In nigeria is a real problem. The army in pakistan actually went in and cleared the area where kids werent being vaccinated. Virtually all the cases in pakistan literally the majority of all the cases in the in this one part of pakistan, the fact that the army welld it actually means have a bumpup in cases as those kids move around. Gives us a chance to get in and have access. So were optimistic, despite terrorist groups taking this on, expected. Uldnt have against polio erad raition eradication, it seems wild that youd pick that as something to against. The nonterrorist leaders have been our partners in trying to get the word out. A question right here. Yourself. Roduce routersa, thompson foundation. As you say s infrastructure is absolutely critical in getting diseases under control. Are you rethinking how youre going to direct your funding in order to help build more primary Health Care Systems . Secondly, would you like to have an idea, when you think the resources have been thrown at ebola, that it might be realistic to see it under control . I dont think youll get date. Y to predict a its hard, given that it could spread out to lore locations locations. Thats got to be a big concern. Getting all the surrounding ready so that if a few people show up there, there are Treatment Centers and getting peoplet into those Treatment Centers is the right thing for the patient for the community. Because of that uncertainty, im hazard a guess. This month, the basic infrastructure in the three to get inis going place. The tent camps are going up fairly quickly. Volunteering. So its great to see the energy the next, well, 30 days, pieces will come into place. We do a lot on primary health care. We do, that weng focus on, which is about saving childrenss and is through primary health care. Thats a deep specialty of our foundation. The outliars,at outlyers, you get less of your kids dying. There are countries like ghana that are ahead of that. Like nigeria that are behind that. Understanding how the good built and bringing that to those other countries, thats been a huge area of focus us. Its not so much the actual infrastructure. The building is not the hard