DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2019.v07i12.070

Pages: 4185-4191

The 2014–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa was a defining moment in global public health, exposing critical weaknesses in health systems, emergency preparedness, and international coordination. This paper critically evaluates the multifaceted public health response to the outbreak across the most affected countries—Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone—drawing on epidemiological data, governmental reports, and frontline accounts. It examines systemic delays in detection, failures in risk communication, and the inadequate surge capacity of healthcare infrastructure, particularly in fragile states. The analysis highlights how a lack of community trust, insufficient infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, and fragmented coordination between national governments and international actors contributed to the rapid spread and severity of the epidemic. Conversely, the study also identifies key adaptive strategies and innovations that emerged, including community-led surveillance, the use of mobile health tools for contact tracing, and the accelerated development and deployment of experimental vaccines and treatments. The paper underscores the transformative impact of the outbreak on global health security, leading to the establishment of mechanisms such as the WHO Health Emergencies Programme and renewed investment in outbreak preparedness under frameworks like the International Health Regulations (2005). By synthesizing these lessons, the paper offers a set of actionable recommendations for strengthening early warning systems, fostering community engagement, and building resilient health systems capable of withstanding future epidemics. It argues that while the EVD outbreak was a tragedy, it catalyzed crucial reforms whose implementation remains uneven and incomplete—highlighting the urgent need for sustained global commitment to epidemic preparedness and health equity.