The Ebola Outbreak, Fragile Health Systems, and Quality as a Cure

Abstract

SecurityCouncil unanimously approved a resolution establishing the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) with 134 cosponsors-the most support for any resolution since the founding of the United Nations in 1946.This commitment, however, comes many months into an outbreak that has already become one of the most devastating health crises of the 21st century.And the need is immense: the World Health Organization (WHO) now reports more than 5300 infections and 2600 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, 1 with broad consensus that the true burden of disease is far greater.Yet if the Ebola virus surfaced in Boston or Toronto, there is little doubt that their health systems, despite shortcomings, could effectively contain and then eliminate the disease with far lower case-fatality rates than those reported now in West Africa.Why the disparity when there is no proven drug or vaccine available?The answer lies not with the virus, but in the collective failure to ensure the availability of adequate health care staff, resources, and systems required for the delivery of high-quality health care