Reference no: EM133006765

The Terror of Ebola

An Ebola outbreak hit West Africa in 2014. The disease ravaged many communities and spread fear among the world. The factors surrounding how to control the Ebola epidemic were complicated.

Analysis

Ebola is a devastating virus which is easily transmitted among humans by way of bodily fluids. The virus was originally discovered in 1976 as a virus that is transmitted from fruit bats to humans in Africa. When the outbreak happened in 2014, government officials were slow to respond to contain the epidemic.

At first the outbreak was minimized for fear of economic repercussions. Then, when the outbreak was clearly visible to the world, officials scrambled into place to limit the effects, but it was too late. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control underestimated the extent of the epidemic.

Question 1. Do medical personnel have the responsibility to care for patients no matter what the risk in doing so?

Question 2. How do you determine when the need for public health should take precedence over local customs, such as hands-on care for the dead?

Question 3. What is the responsibility of government leaders and citizens in wealthy nations to the health care needs of people in poorer regions?

Question 4. What, if anything, should be done to narrow the gap in medical care between wealthy and poor countries?

Question 5. What can be done to prevent a future Ebola epidemic? To better prepare and respond?

Question 6. How can governments encourage drug companies to develop medications for "unprofitable" diseases like Ebola?

Question 7. What leadership and followership ethics lessons do you take from this case?