The Ebola response 10 years later: Lessons for the future

The 2014 Ebola epidemic shook the world, claiming the lives of 11,000 people. In the decade since, we’ve faced numerous other public health challenges—perhaps none so great as the COVID-19 pandemic.

While COVID grew from an epidemic to a pandemic, the Ebola virus was largely successfully contained to West Africa thanks to an effective public health response that saved thousands of lives. With a deadly pandemic only recently behind us, what can we learn from our response to previous epidemics to better prepare for the next one?

There are two pivotal pieces to containing epidemics: Strong partnerships, and resilient infrastructure.

Successful containment first requires fast, clear, and trustworthy sharing of information, from the global level down to the hyper-local level. That foundation can then be used to share medical resources, knowledge, and aid to support the frontline workers and larger regional response teams—but it’s only possible through strong partnerships.

Those partnerships in turn help support the resilient infrastructure needed to see the epidemic through. Proper hiring and training of health staff and personnel is always critical to a strong medical response, but particularly when viruses can grow to epidemic and pandemic magnitudes. Resilient workers help ensure quick and effective medical care, timely communications, and thorough work, right down to the ordering of supplies.

We hosted the Ten-Year Commemoration of the Ebola Outbreak Containment and Reflection on CDC’s Response event on the Hill, bringing together the leaders of the 2014 Ebola response, including CDC, state, and African health officials to understand both the success and shortcomings of the response. Through their expert perspectives, we gathered lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak to increase our ability to contain future epidemics and pandemics. Watch below for their thoughts and insights.