title: Ebola revisited: lessons in managing global epidemics.
abstract: The latest statistics for the number of new cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa point to the near containment of the virus. While the current threat will not be deemed over until 42 days after the last case to be diagnosed has twice tested negative, there is now a shift in focus from an emphasis on containment to that of policy review and capacity building in light of lessons learned. This article primarily focuses on Sierra Leone. It revisits the issues surrounding the epidemic, seeking to summarise both the negative and positive aspects of the response at local and global levels, as well as highlights fresh perspectives from healthcare workers in the field for the management of similar epidemics.
authors.affiliation: Tutor in Adult Nursing, King's College London, and co-founder and Trustee of UK Friends of the Shepherds' Hospice, Sierra Leone.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boulton
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D058873:Pandemics; D014944:World Health Organization
keywords: Disease outbreaks; Ebola virus; Morbidity; Public health; Viruses; World Health Organization