Below are extracts from a BBC article by David Heymann (professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), with thanks to Global Health NOW. The full text is avialable here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32551089

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It has now been over a year since the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was first reported… So what has the outbreak taught us and how prepared are we for the next global health crisis?…

We have learned that the initial response to an outbreak must be robust and complete…

We have also learned that community engagement is of the utmost importance – helping village elders, paramount chiefs and others understand how the disease is transmitted and how it can be stopped, including emphasis on safe burial practices…

The best means of dealing with an international health crisis is prevention – it has been known, for example, since 1976 that it is sub-standard health facility infection control that permits Ebola to spread, yet sub-standard infection control continues in many facilities. Emphasis must be placed on helping health facilities understand and use infection control measures as part of their routine activities…

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Best wishes, Neil

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