What lessons learned can we use from Ebola outbreaks in Western Africa 2014 and Democratic Republic of Congo 2018–19 to improve international response?
Abstract
The 2014 Western African Ebola outbreak challenged the global disaster response system. Various nations, organisations and non-governmental actors supported the response either by sending resources to the region and/or taking an internal focus and preparing to respond to cases potentially appearing in their region. In ether case, these actors responded by implementing protocols based on limited experience. This paper draws on the United Nations response structure and the disaster management cycle to identify the lessons learned from the 2014 outbreak and the more recent cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and discusses how these are applicable to a future public health emergency of international concern.
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Author's Biography
Michael Owens is an emergency physician at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Director of the Navy’s Global Health and Disaster Response Fellowship, and an assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. His certifications include a master’s degree in public health (MPH) from the University of Massachusetts, Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), and Public Health Emergency Officer (PHEO) from the US Navy. He has held various positions within the National Disaster Medical System, Virginia-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, and is the current Medical Director for the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Strike Team. Dr Owens acted as provider for an Ebola Treatment Unit for the International Rescue Committee and held various positions in Liberia during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Citation
Owens, Michael (2020, June 1). What lessons learned can we use from Ebola outbreaks in Western Africa 2014 and Democratic Republic of Congo 2018–19 to improve international response?. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 13, Issue 4. https://doi.org/10.69554/WXAH9256.
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