RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Ebola virus disease epidemic in West Africa: lessons learned and issues arising from West African countries
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 54
OP 57
DO 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-1-54
VO 15
IS 1
A1 Obinna O Oleribe
A1 Babatunde L Salako
A1 M Mourtalla Ka
A1 Albert Akpalu
A1 Mairi McConnochie
A1 Matthew Foster
A1 Simon D Taylor-Robinson
YR 2015
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/15/1/54.abstract
AB The current Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak ravaging three nations in West Africa has affected more than 14,000 persons and killed over 5,000. It is the longest and most widely spread Ebola epidemic ever seen. At the time of this overview (written November 2014), having affected eight different nations, Nigeria and Senegal were able to control and eliminate the virus within a record time. Ghana has successfully, to date, kept the virus away from the country, despite economic and social relationships with affected nations. What lessons can we learn from Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana in the current epidemic? How can the world improve the health systems in low- and middle-income countries to effectively manage future outbreaks? Recently, the Royal College of Physicians launched a new partnership with the West African College of Physicians to curtail the effects of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the region. We believe that strengthened health systems, skilled human resources for health and national ownership of problems are key to effective management of outbreaks such as EVD.