Ebola is a viral disease caused by several viruses and the disease is known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Humans are not the natural host for it and can not be carriers. Infection is contracted by contact with carrier animals in different ways. Humans become infectious during the sickness period especially in crowded places and where culture embraces close body contact with family and friends as the disease spreads by body fluids. Generally Ebola is not a disease that might lead to an epidemic due to several reasons, the fact that there are no human carriers, the replication time of the Ebola virus makes its transmission rate limited to 1.8% and normally it kills the host before it spreads. What led to this epidemic becoming the largest of Ebola is the question to answer (PHMS, 2014).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Globalization and Ebola
3. Ebola, Health and Health systems
4. Ebola and the work of organizations
5. The way forward...
Objectives & Topics
This paper examines the factors that enabled the 2014 Ebola outbreak to escalate into a major humanitarian and public health crisis in West Africa. By analyzing the structural fragilities of local health infrastructures alongside the shortcomings of international coordination, the study addresses how global health governance failed to respond rapidly and investigates necessary systemic reforms to prevent similar global health emergencies in the future.
- Pathology, transmission, and environmental dynamics of the Ebola virus
- Healthcare system vulnerabilities, resource deficits, and poverty in Sierra Leone
- Globalization, international cooperation barriers, and the delayed global response
- The evolving mandates of the World Health Organization and the World Bank
- Strategic frameworks for reforming global health governance and actor accountability
Excerpt from the Book
Globalization and Ebola
We live in a time in which issues needed to be dealt with are not limited to one area, have growing intensity and extensity in relation to crossing geographical borders, yet the collective approaches to solve them are weak and incomplete, with the difficulties encountered are mainly due to the anemic problem-solving capacities at global and regional levels, mostly due to structural complexity that hinders urgent responses and policy-setting in reaction to global emergencies (Held, D., 2008). The lack of ownership of problems at global level, for example now after the Ebola outbreak the WHO stated that “it is technical body, and the responsibility lies first on the countries to protect their citizens”, yet they are not the ones to blame. All of this is mainly due to lack of clear global governance structure, “a ship with more than a leader sinks” (Gostin, L. O., & Friedman, E. A., (2014).
On the contrary, countries in which the epidemic has started are poor, and the life expectancy at birth is considered to be of the lowest worldwide, this indeed reflects the poor health status in general and the health care system within, which means that the governments aren't taking their “assumed role” as mentioned by the WHO, and if we are to improve the social determinants of health, governments of those countries must assume their role and take action in population protection and human rights provision including health (Gostin, L. O., & Friedman, E. A. 2014).
The world has witnessed many Ebola outbreaks in the past, all of which originated in Africa, in Uganda, Sudan, Zaire and other countries, but why has there been no movement in regard to prevention of further outbreaks, why has there been no advance in research for vaccination or treatment for Ebola?
Chapter Summary
Introduction: Explores the epidemiology of Ebola alongside the socio-economic conditions, high poverty levels, and underdeveloped health infrastructure in Sierra Leone.
Globalization and Ebola: Analyzes the weaknesses in international collective action, delayed multinational responses, and the structural ambiguities within global health governance.
Ebola, Health and Health systems: Discusses how weak local healthcare systems, resource shortages, and policy shifts towards privatization contributed to the severe disease spread compared to developed nations.
Ebola and the work of organizations: Reviews containment initiatives implemented in Sierra Leone, the involvement of international aid donors, NGOs, and civil society, as well as the pharmaceutical research gaps.
The way forward...: Proposes comprehensive reforms for global health governance, arguing for a revitalized, authoritative stewardship role for the World Health Organization.
Keywords
Ebola epidemic, Global health governance, World Health Organization, Healthcare systems, Sierra Leone, Infectious disease, Public health, Alma-Ata, Health economics, Epidemic containment, Non-governmental organizations, Health equity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper investigates why the 2014 Ebola outbreak transformed into an unprecedented regional epidemic, analyzing both local health system deficiencies and the failures of global health leadership.
What primary thematic fields are examined?
Key thematic areas include global health governance, epidemiological containment, socioeconomic determinants of health in West Africa, international health actor dynamics, and institutional reform.
What is the primary objective of the author?
The primary aim is to identify the systemic governance defects that impeded an urgent, coordinated international response to Ebola and to propose a sustainable structural model for global health stewardship.
Which methodology is applied throughout the analysis?
The author employs a critical conceptual and literature review, drawing on international development data, historical public health declarations, and governance frameworks.
What aspects are addressed in the main body of the work?
The main sections evaluate Sierra Leone's healthcare indicators, the eight-month delay in global emergency response, national containment policies, and the diverging roles of the WHO, World Bank, and NGOs.
Which keywords best describe the academic contribution?
Essential keywords include Ebola epidemic, Global health governance, WHO reform, Healthcare systems, Sierra Leone, and Health equity.
Why was Sierra Leone especially vulnerable to the rapid spread of Ebola?
The country faced extreme poverty, high rates of illiteracy, cultural behaviors favoring close physical contact, and an severely constrained healthcare infrastructure with only two nurses per 10,000 people.
What structural reform does the author propose for the World Health Organization?
The author advocates reforming the WHO from a merely advisory technical body into a legalized primary decision-maker and global steward with direct convening power over international health actors.
- Quote paper
- Abdalla Ibrahim (Author), 2014, Ebola. Black death of the 21st century, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/283800
