Commemorating Ten Years Since the West Africa Ebola Outbreak

Ten years ago today, the World Health Organization declared that an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Sixteen months later, the worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history would finally end but not before the disease reached 10 countries, claimed 11,325 lives, infected more than 28,600 people, and upended millions of lives.

USAID played a lead role in the international response, deploying a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on August 5, 2014, to Liberia to lead efforts to stop the spread of the virus and save lives. USAID soon deployed additional staff to Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Ghana, with the DART serving as a regional coordinating platform for other federal entities, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. military, and the U.S. Public Health Service. At one point, more than 3,000 U.S. government personnel were in West Africa, working to contain the disease. Working with host governments and local communities, they strengthened capacity to detect and treat cases of Ebola by improving and expanding laboratory capacity, supporting aggressive contact tracing efforts, increasing the number of Ebola treatment units, running a field hospital, training healthcare workers, and expanding the pipeline of medical equipment and supplies. 

The U.S. government supported robust efforts to prevent the spread of the disease in health facilities, within communities, and across borders by increasing infection prevention and control trainings as well as the capacity to conduct safe and dignified burials. The U.S. government support also included efforts building on the response investments to enable the affected communities and countries to be better prepared for future health emergencies by strengthening emergency operations centers, developing protocols for countries to respond to future disasters, and launching information campaigns on how to identify and prevent Ebola. Together, with our international partners – and the people in the affected countries – we helped contain the outbreak. 

It was also historic for how it galvanized the international community to recognize that in today’s world, an infectious disease threat anywhere is a threat everywhere. These investments – USAID has invested $2.5 billion since 2014 to prepare for, detect, and respond to emerging health threats – ensure the U.S. government remains more nimble and responsive to early alerts, reducing the threat these crises pose and protecting people around the world from infectious disease outbreaks when they happen, ultimately reducing dependence on foreign aid to weather them. 

Due to USAID’s work and investments in global health security and outbreak response, dozens of partner countries have strengthened their capacity to prevent, detect and respond to health threats. We strive to contain outbreaks and limit their impact on communities around the world. Today, USAID’s global health security and outbreak response efforts are built upon the lessons learned a decade ago and remain focused on containing today's threats. 

Since the start of the 21st century, outbreaks have become more frequent and more severe. The West Africa Ebola outbreak ten years ago demonstrated this. The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced it. We must take this moment to recognize the importance of efforts and investments to prepare the world for what lies ahead.