CDC's Ebola reports detail key programs, lessons from epidemic

Issue: August 2016

The CDC has released a series of reports in MMWR describing key activities conducted during the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic, the largest emergency response in the agency’s history.

Along with detailing actions taken in West Africa and the United States, the reports review several factors that hindered international efforts and note several lessons that could improve future outbreak responses.

“This outbreak is a case study in why the Global Health Security Agenda is so important,” Beth P. Bell, MD, MPH, director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said in a press release. “By the time the world understood there was an outbreak, it was already widespread — and had ignited the world’s first urban Ebola epidemic, with devastating results.”

Beth P. Bell

According to the reports, the initial response to Ebola’s spread was slowed by the wide geographic sector of cases, poor public health infrastructure, distrust of government and health care workers, and several other roadblocks. To combat these issues, CDC implemented a number of programs in the region, such as:

establishing CDC response teams and country offices;
organizing and initiating of Ebola vaccine trials;
strengthening of surveillance and response programs; and
improving contact tracing and infection control.

Furthermore, the agency’s reports detail actions taken to mitigate the “widespread public alarm” that grew in the U.S. alongside the West African epidemic. These included:

establishing international travel and screening policies;
ensuring hospital preparedness;
alerting and assisting state health departments;
forming a national Rapid Ebola Preparedness response team; and
distributing Ebola laboratory assays to state and local public health.

Thomas R. Frieden

“The Ebola epidemic in West Africa killed thousands and directly or indirectly harmed millions of people living in the region,” CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said in a press release. “The resilience of those affected; the hard work by ministries of health international partners; and the dedication, hard work and expertise of mission-driven CDC employees helped avoid a global catastrophe. We must work to ensure that a preventable outbreak of this magnitude never happens again.” – by Dave Muoio

Reference:

Bell BP, et al. MMWR Suppl. 2016;doi:10.15585/mmwr.su6503a2.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.