On-the-Ground Views of The Ebola Crisis in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Nancy A. Aossey, president and chief executive officer at International Medical Corps, Laurie Garrett, CFR’s senior fellow for global health, and David Nabarro, the UN’s special envoy on Ebola, join Richard E. Besser, chief health and medical editor at ABC News, to discuss the panelists’ recent trips to West African Ebola-treatment units and the international response to the crisis. While the Ebola crisis in Liberia is greatly improved, the situation in parts of Sierra Leone remains dire. The panel credits safe burial practices, reduced physical contact with infected persons, increased laboratories and care, and coordinated work with the Liberian government as reasons for Liberia’s success in lowering the infection rate. The challenges in Sierra Leone include unsafe burials, the scarcity of health workers, and the rough terrain.

Speakers:
Nancy A. Aossey, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Medical Corps
Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow for Global Health, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, Ebola: Story of an Outbreak
David Nabarro, Special Envoy on Ebola, United Nations

Presider:
Richard E. Besser, Chief Health and Medical Editor, ABC News