Ebola: Responses to a public health emergency

The deadliest outbreak of Ebola virus disease in history, and the first to hit epidemic levels, struck the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014, killing 11,315 people. Despite being diagnosed in March 2014, there was a slow initial response to the epidemic. This was attributed by many witnesses to our inquiry to delays in WHO sounding the alarm and declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), something which WHO must carry primary responsibility for. As a result, the international community did not fully mobilise until September, in the wake of the World Health Organization’s designation of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in August. We praise those who risked their lives to bring the epidemic under control and pay tribute to all those who lost their lives in the fight against Ebola.

The Ebola epidemic exposed serious deficiencies in the international public health system. The World Health Organization has acknowledged its shortcomings in dealing with the crisis and that it requires radical reform to improve its outbreak capacity. We agree and urge DFID to lead efforts and make this reform a priority. The International Health Regulations have also been shown to be inadequate. Many countries are not taking their legal obligations under the regulations seriously; and there are differences in understanding over the purpose of the designation of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. We support the creation of a transparent and clearly understood grading system for public health emergencies.