Ebola 2014: Just how ‘delayed’ is the response?

In her 2008 article, Haemorrhagic Fevers in Africa: Narratives, Politics and Pathways of Disease and Response, Melissa Leach draws attention to the ‘ecological and social dynamics’ present in African communities, the ‘structural shifts that may be impinging on the nature and frequency of outbreaks, and on local and regional vulnerability to them.’ She highlights that issues with tackling diseases such as Ebola cannot be separated from the battle against poverty and stresses that the increasing frequency and severity of outbreaks calls for the integration of longer-term perspectives into practical, sustainable responses to Ebola, if a future health crisis is to be avoided.