Ebola in west Africa: learning the lessons

Abstract

The early history of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in west Africa is a salutary statement about the lack of infectious disease surveillance capacity in one of the world’s poorest regions. The 1 year anniversary of the first case passed in December, 2014, yet that of the first laboratory confirmation of the virus won’t be until March 23, 2015. In the intervening period last year, cholera and then Lassa fever were thought to be the more likely suspects. When the diagnosis finally arrived, it came not from a facility in the region, but from the Institut Pasteur in Lyon, France. By that stage, people had succumbed to the virus not only in Guinea, but also in two more countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia—a spread that was not, at that point, detected, investigated, or reported to WHO. These three countries have now each witnessed deaths in the thousands.