Ebola Virus Disease or Ebola has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern a couple of times by the World Health Organization since the 2014 outbreak in West Africa. The 2014 declaration was significant because it was the first time Ebola was recognized as a global threat. It still is. Hence, in acknowledging the impacts of an uncontrolled outbreak, world powers, including the United States government, have taken prevention and containment measures, even if a particular outbreak is occurring in a distant continent.
Appreciating the Importance of Global Ebola Prevention Efforts and Understanding the Possible Impacts of Failing to Contain an Outbreak
High Mortality Rate
Ebola prevention efforts include active surveillance, early detection, sharing of information with other relevant institutions, and rapid response to potential cases. The utmost goal is to prevent it before it even starts or stop outbreaks in their initial phases to minimize the risk of widespread outbreaks that can further result in a sizeable number of deaths.
Preventing an outbreak from occurring or worsening is essential for the simplest reason that Ebola has a high mortality rate. There are no specific treatments or vaccines available. It can also be very contagious since it can spread through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected individual or animal or even with contaminated objects like surfaces and fabrics.
The mortality rate depends on the particular Ebola strain. Bundibugyo ebolavirus has between 25 to 40 percent while Sudan ebolavirus has around 50 to 71 percent. The Zaire ebolavirus is the most lethal strain with a staggering mortality rate of up to 90 percent. Deaths tend to be higher in areas with poor healthcare infrastructure or far from hospitals.
Outbreak Concerns
Researchers S. Stawicki et al. noted that Ebola was once considered a serious problem confined in the isolated regions of Africa. However, the frequency of outbreaks has increased since the 1970s, and following the 2014 outbreak in West Africa, it is now regarded as a global health threat because of global travel and widespread cross-continental interactions.
Ebola can cross borders if not contained. Remember that it can spread through direct contact with contaminated items or materials. Studies have shown that the virus can persist for hours on dry surfaces and can for several days given the right conditions. R. Fischer et al. found that viable virus was detectable for three days at tropical weather conditions.
Large outbreaks are possible but rare. Research by A. Camacho et al. indicates that the probability of an Ebola outbreak exceeding 1000 cases is only about 3 percent. This means that it has a low potential to become a pandemic. However, there is a concern that the virus or specific strains could mutate to become more easily transmissible between humans.
One of the main reasons outbreaks are contained, apart from the transmission characteristics of the virus, centers on the effectiveness of existing prevention efforts or specific containment strategies. The primary reasons why there a large and coordinated Ebola prevention efforts are its high mortality rate and the absence of effective treatment protocols.
Economic Implications
The 2014 outbreak in West Africa resulted in an estimated economic impact ranging from USD 30 billion to USD 50 billion according to a review and analysis of M. Obeng-Kusi, J. Martin, and I. Abraham. Affected countries include Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This loss was attributed to decreased labor availability, reduced trade, and diminished investment.
Several groups in the United States have argued that country should not be spending public funds to global Ebola prevention efforts. However, according to researchers C. H. Cassell et al., 13.7 percent of U.S. exports and 14.3 percent of export-related jobs are dependent on 49 countries included in the watchlist of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hence, for countries that are dependent on international trade, disease outbreaks transpiring in other countries, even in distant continents, can disrupt supply chains, decrease demand for goods, and hurt economic growth. The implications of a global health crisis on domestic economies were underscored during the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020.
Bolstering Health Systems
Another importance of the ongoing global Ebola prevention efforts rests on their impacts in improving and bolstering health systems of involved countries. International collaboration enhances the capacity of health systems worldwide to detect, respond to, and prevent future health threats. This results to more resilient health infrastructures.
The report from T. R. Frieden and I. K. Damon noted that the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa demonstrated the capabilities of the U.S. CDC to extend technical and medical assistance to affected countries. Moreover, aside from this, the experience also underscored the need to boost national and international systems to prevent future health threats.
Ongoing coordination and collaboration from state and non-state actors also provide an avenue for sharing resources and building a global capacity. Involvements from previous Ebola outbreaks have resulted in better disease surveillance and the creation of rapid response networks. These are essential in both global public health and international trade.
It is also worth mentioning that cooperation among governments and relevant institutions advance scientific research. Global health risk prevention efforts drive scientific pursuits. This can result in the development of best practices, effective treatment protocols, and drugs or vaccines that can improve patient outcomes and prevent future outbreaks.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Camacho, A., Kucharski, A. J., Funk, S., Breman, J., Piot, P., and Edmunds, W. J. 2014. “Potential for Large Outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease. In Epidemics. 9: 7-78. Elsevier BV. DOI: 1016/j.epidem.2014.09.003
- Cassell, C. H., Bambery, Z., Roy, K., Meltzer, M. I., Ahmed, Z., Payne, R. L., and Bunnell, R. E. 2017. “Relevance of Global Health Security to the US Export Economy.” In Health Security. 15(6): 563–568. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. DOI: 1089/hs.2017.0051
- Fischer, R., Judson, S., Miazgowicz, K., Bushmaker, T., Prescott, J., and Munster, V. J. 2015. “Ebola Virus Stability on Surfaces and in Fluids in Simulated Outbreak Environments.” In Emerging Infectious Diseases. 21(7): 12431246). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DOI: 3201/eid2107.150253
- Frieden, T. R., and Damon, I. K. 2015. “Ebola in West Africa—CDC’s Role in Epidemic Detection, Control, and Prevention.” In Emerging Infectious Diseases. 21(11): 1897-1905. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DOI: 3201/eid2111.150949
- Obeng-Kusi, M., Martin, J., and Abraham, I. 2024. “The Economic Burden of Ebola Virus Disease: A Review and Recommendations for Analysis. In Journal of Medical Economics. 27(1): 309-323. Informa UK Limited. DOI: 1080/13696998.2024.2313358
- Saeed, S., Hasan, S., Ahmad, S., and Masood, R. 2019. “Ebola Virus: A Global Public Health Menace: A Narrative Review. In Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 8(7): 2189: Medknow. DOI: 4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_297_19
- Stawicki, S., Kalra, S., Kelkar, D., Galwankar, S., Papadimos, T., Arquilla, B., Hoey, B., Sharpe, R., Sabol, D., and Jahre, J. 2014. “The Emergence of Ebola as a Global Health Security Threat: From ′Lessons Learned′ to Coordinated Multilateral Containment Efforts. In Journal of Global Infectious Diseases. 6(4): 164. Medknow. DOI: 4103/0974-777x.145247
- World Health Organization. 2023. “Ebola Virus Disease.” Fact Sheets. World Health Organization. Available online