The Ebola epidemic: a transformative moment for global health

摘要

The devastating effects of the cur- rent epidemic of Ebola virus disease in western Africa have put the global health response in acute focus. The index case is believed to have been a 2-year-old child in Guéckédou, Guinea, who died in December 2013. 1 By late February 2014, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were in the midst of a full-blown and complex global health emergency. 2 The response by multilat- eral and humanitarian organizations has been laudable and – at times – he- roic. Much of the worst affected region is recovering from civil conflicts. This region is characterized by weak sys- tems of government and health-care delivery, high rates of illiteracy, poverty and distrust of the government and extreme population mobility across porous, artificial boundaries. A more coordinated, strategic and proactive response is urgently needed.