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Committee: Correct Ebola ‘missteps’ to prevent future outbreaks
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Addressing faults in the global community’s response to the ongoing Ebola virus outbreak could lessen or prevent similar outcomes in future epidemics, according to a statement from the International Rescue Committee.
“The lesson of this crisis is that if you lose the trust of the community, then you can’t run an effective health system,” David Miliband, MS, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said in a press release. “This is the warning we have to take on board to avoid the risk of repetition.”
A widespread focus on treatment of Ebola virus as opposed to prevention and containment led to a slow and misdirected response to the disease’s rapid spread, the organization wrote in an accompanying report. In particular, it said that to reduce the impact of similar outbreaks, relief efforts should partner with local communities and leadership, support proper safety and compensation for health care workers, and increase focus on infection control in health care and other public facilities.
“Governments, donors and the humanitarian aid community can learn from these missteps and improve how we respond to, and even prevent, future outbreaks,” the organization said in the report. “If we fail to heed Ebola’s lessons, however, the world will remain unnecessarily and inexcusably vulnerable to future public health catastrophes.”