This paper examines the 2014 Ebola epidemic — the largest in recorded history — and the public administration response mounted by the U.S. government. It reviews the scale and geographic spread of the outbreak across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and traces how the epidemic reached the United States and Europe through returning healthcare workers. The paper covers key domestic and international response measures, including the establishment of a Joint Force Command Headquarters in Liberia, airport screening of returning travelers, mandatory quarantine policies and the controversy surrounding them, and the Obama administration's six-billion-dollar funding request targeting vaccine development, healthcare preparedness, and international containment efforts.
The 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa, which killed over nine thousand people in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, clearly illustrated new vulnerabilities in the spread of transmittable diseases. Ten people were treated for the Ebola virus in the United States, and the disease was shown to be highly mobile. The U.S. government responded to the crisis in a number of ways, including training for hospital workers, a deployment of military and healthcare personnel to West Africa, and funding to research treatments and vaccines to help prevent further outbreaks. This paper provides an overview of the Ebola outbreak and the public administration response by the U.S. government.
The 2014 Ebola epidemic was the largest in history and directly affected many West African countries while indirectly affecting the entire planet. Two imported cases, including one death, and two locally acquired cases in healthcare workers were reported in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.S. government had to coordinate their activities to manage domestic preparedness (CDC, 2015).
Because the disease is known to be highly mobile, the United States partnered with its allies and established a command center close to the affected areas. On September 16, President Barack Obama directed U.S. Africa Command to establish a Joint Force Command Headquarters in the Liberian capital of Monrovia to support U.S. military activities and help coordinate expanded U.S. and international relief efforts to fight Ebola in West Africa (DOD, 2014). The workers deployed received the highest level of training and the best protective equipment available.
The threats and risks associated with Ebola were not contained to the African continent. There were at least 24 cases of Ebola treated in Europe and the United States; many of those affected were health and aid workers who contracted Ebola in West Africa and were transported back to their home countries for treatment (The New York Times, 2015). If the disease gains a foothold in any population, it can spread quickly and new outbreaks can occur.
One response from the U.S. government was to screen people returning from affected African countries at the airport. Approximately 7,700 people returning from Ebola-afflicted countries were screened at U.S. airports and were required to monitor themselves for symptoms and report to health authorities for 21 days (The New York Times, 2015). Many individuals deemed to be at risk were placed into quarantine. This measure was intended to contain the possible further spread of the disease.
"Debate over mandatory quarantine for health workers"
"Six billion dollar request and White House priorities"
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