Managing Ebola in Dallas

This case study tells the story of Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian who was the first patient in the United States diagnosed with Ebola in 2014. It describes the responses of authorities, elected officials and hospital administrators, the intense media focus on the case, and the public panic when two nurses who cared for Duncan also tested positive for Ebola despite following Centers for Disease Control (CDC) protocols. The case raises important questions about public communication, crisis decision-making, multi-organizational coordination, and general emergency response strategies in the face of significant novelty, incomplete and conflicting information, and rapidly evolving circumstances. This case is accompanied by a separate epilogue.

The case is part of a series produced by the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Case Program, hosted by the HKS Strengthening Learning and Teaching Excellence (SLATE) initiative, the world’s largest producer and repository of case studies designed for teaching about how government works and how public policy is made. Each case in the series is designed to train public leaders, and introduces actual policy dilemmas along with data to equip students to learn how to apply the rigor of quantitative analysis in the real world.

This case may be purchased for a nominal fee; registered educators may obtain a free review copy. Online supplemental resources include short free documents and videos on how to teach with the case method, as well as downloadable related tip sheets and questions for class discussion.