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(Harvard University Press)
When the Ebola virus broke out in West Africa in 2014, it spread at breakneck speed and thwarted the stakeholders. At the end of the epidemic in 2016, more than 28,000 people had been infected and 11,325 had died. It was not obligatory, write Pardis Sabeti and Lara Salahi. In "Culture of Epidemics: The Ebola Crisis and the Next Epidemic", they uncover the chaos behind the global response to the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak and explain how it could have been avoided.
Sabeti, a genetic researcher, was part of a team that determined when and where the Ebola virus was first transmitted from human to human. But while she was working with officials in the field in West Africa, she noticed that the response was not coordinated. Interpersonal tensions are brewed. Policy and logistics slowed the response process. Too often fear has prevailed, with disastrous consequences.
Salahi, journalist, and Sabeti have pleaded for what is called the "epidemic culture", a pernicious and toxic situation that evolves during the upsurge of an infectious disease. This culture thrives on denial, blame and mistrust. Ethics can be put aside when bad actors use epidemics to boost their careers; Stakeholders on the ground are struggling to find the resources they need.
It's as predictable as the plot of a bad movie – and it repeats itself over and over again, write the authors.
Rooted in stories and personal testimonials, the book is a critical and poignant post-mortem of the epidemic. But the authors do not just list the many failures of the last crisis. They set out a plan to avoid these outbreaks and allow organizations to coordinate, information to move freely and public health campaigns to counteract deadly diseases.
"The next epidemic is better," they conclude.
Their words are painfully timely. Africa is facing another Ebola contagion – this time in an active war zone in Congo.
Read more
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