Journal ArticleDOI
Ebola and War in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Avoiding Failure and Thinking Ahead
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
The United States and international community should launch high-level political mobilization, with diplomatic, human, and economic resources, to improve the safety and effectiveness of epidemic response operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Abstract:
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is exceptionally dangerous, occurring within active armed conflict and geopolitical volatility, including a million displaced persons. With 421 cases, 240 deaths, and the numbers increasing, this Ebola outbreak is the second deadliest in history.1 Recent spread to Butembo, home to 1.2 million people, raised concerns. The DRC, World Health Organization (WHO), and partners are leading a vigorous international response, yet despite deploying an experimental vaccine, cases doubled in October 2018 and many cases had unknown origin. Uncontrolled Ebola outbreaks can expand quickly, as occurred in West Africa in 2014. Averting that outcome in the DRC requires rapid action including a strengthened public health response, security, and community outreach. If violence escalates, it could compromise a fragile response. Yet resources are insufficient. The United States and other countries are not permitting personnel deployment to the epicenter, including from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Agency for International Development (USAID). In this Viewpoint, we review recommendations of experts convened by Georgetown University and listed at the end of this article. The United States and international community should launch high-level political mobilization, with diplomatic, human, and economic resources. It is critical to recognize that future health crises will occur in fragile, insecure settings. To prepare, the international community needs long-term planning and enhanced capacities to improve the safety and effectiveness of epidemic response operations.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Decisive leadership is a necessity in the COVID-19 response.
Ahmed Mohammed Obaid Al Saidi,Fowsiya Abikar Nur,Ahmed Al-Mandhari,Maha El Rabbat,Assad Hafeez,Abdinasir Abubakar +5 more
Journal ArticleDOI
Social media and disaster management: Case of the north and south Kivu regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
TL;DR: The study revealed that social media platforms are perceived to be easy to use, useful with a perceived relative advantage, and are therefore essential for disaster management; and the use of social media impacts information accessibility, adaptability, proactiveness and resilience.
Journal ArticleDOI
US withdrawal from WHO is unlawful and threatens global and US health and security.
Lawrence O. Gostin,Harold Hongju Koh,Michelle A. Williams,Margaret A. Hamburg,Georges C. Benjamin,William H. Foege,Patricia M. Davidson,Elizabeth H. Bradley,Michele Barry,Jeffrey P. Koplan,Mirta Roses Periago,Wafaa El Sadr,Ann E. Kurth,Sten H. Vermund,Matthew M. Kavanagh +14 more
Journal ArticleDOI
Accurate forecasts of the effectiveness of interventions against Ebola may require models that account for variations in symptoms during infection.
William S Hart,Leonhard Hochfilzer,Nik J. Cunniffe,Hyojung Lee,Hiroshi Nishiura,Robin N Thompson,Robin N Thompson +6 more
TL;DR: The need to consider whether or not varying symptoms should be accounted for in models used by decision makers to assess the likely efficacy of Ebola interventions is highlighted.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Impact of Armed Conflict on the Epidemiological Situation of COVID-19 in Libya, Syria and Yemen.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the impact of armed conflicts on the epidemiology of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) within these war-torn countries and highlighted the strategies needed to combat the spread of the pandemic and its consequences.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Toward a Common Secure Future: Four Global Commissions in the Wake of Ebola.
Lawrence O. Gostin,Oyewale Tomori,Suwit Wibulpolprasert,Ashish K. Jha,Julio Frenk,Suerie Moon,Joy Phumaphi,Peter Piot,Barbara Stocking,Victor J. Dzau,Gabriel M. Leung +10 more
TL;DR: Lawrence Gostin and colleagues offer a set of priorities for global health preparedness and response for future infectious disease threats and suggest a number of priorities that need to be addressed.