Caught in a Storm: The World Health Organization and the 2014 Ebola Outbreak
2020
This case summarizes the events of the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola Outbreak, starting with the death of patient zero in December 2013 and ending in August 2014 when the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The case asks students to consider the challenges associated with a transnational crisis that crosses borders as well as the limitations in the current instruments and processes of global governance.
As the abstract, "The case examines the role of the World Health Organization, a key actor in the epidemic, and provides further context into the strategy, finances, and organizational design of the organization. Additional information related to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), infectious disease epidemics, and the socioeconomic and political context of the three countries most affected by the outbreak (Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea) is also provided."
It includes interviews with experts and stakeholders who are involved in the management of the epidemic and the assessment that followed. The case is accompanied by an epilogue which retraces events after the declaration of a PHEIC in August 2014.
The case is part of a series produced by the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Case Program. This case is provided for free.
Caught in a Storm: The World Health Organization and the 2014 Ebola Outbreak
Source:
Chaumont C, Anyona M. Caught in a Storm: The World Health Organization and the 2014 Ebola Outbreak. HKS Case No. 2177. Harvard Kennedy School Case Program 2020. https://case.hks.harvard.edu/caught-in-a-storm-the-world-health-organization-and-the-2014-ebola-outbreak.