The role of fear in the Ebola response

Nearly two years have passed since Emile Ouamouno, a toddler in Guinea, became the first person infected with Ebola in what has become the worst-ever outbreak of the virus. After a notoriously slow start, the Ebola response is finally winding down. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea recently passed their first week with no new reported cases since the beginning of the outbreak.

There are now a myriad of reports outlining ‘lessons learned’ from the response. Yet most evaluations fail to consider a fundamental aspect of the response: fear.

From affected communities to governments, international NGOs to companies: fear influenced decision-making. We must acknowledge this, or risk failing to learn how fear can undermine outbreak response.