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THE Ebola epidemic is a year old. Assessments of what allowed the outbreak to spin out of control in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are now trickling in.
Reports have revealed a picture of a crippled international health system that the World Health Organization (WHO) has neither the means nor the power to lead.
, aid group Médecins Sans Frontières says it warned on 31 March last year that the Ebola outbreak was “unprecedented” in its scale – only for the WHO to contradict it. The WHO appears to have been trying to avoid alienating affected countries because it needed their cooperation to tackle the outbreak.
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An criticised the WHO for not declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern earlier than August. Leaked WHO show it knew in mid-April that known cases were the “tip of an iceberg”.
Declaring an international emergency was suggested in early June. However, a from Sylvie Briand, the WHO’s head of epidemics, said this would not help control the outbreak because it could damage relations with affected countries.
“The WHO thought declaring an emergency would damage relations with affected countries”
Another said that Guinea wanted to understate the number of cases to reassure expatriates.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Tact hits Ebola fight”
