The Next Victims of Ebola

The epidemic may be nearing “zero cases” — but it's still disrupting the delivery of vaccines for measles, polio, and other deadly childhood diseases.

FOREIGN POLICY                                                                                                    April 27, 2015

by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, and Seth Berkley,  President and CEO of the Gavi vaccine alliance

When the Ebola epidemic in West Africa comes to an end, it will be marked by two simple words: “zero cases.” But this momentous milestone will also signal the beginning of a new struggle as the long and difficult process of recovering from a crisis that has claimed more than 10,000 lives commences. Ebola has not only drawn attention to the vast gap that exists between rich and poor nations; it has widened that divide too, setting the people of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea even further back. The opportunity to narrow and ultimately close this gap cannot be neglected.

Ebola has demonstrated, with brutal efficiency, that health and access to systems that protect it are the glues that hold societies together. Infectious disease can paralyze a nation as effectively as armed conflict. Therefore, as rebuilding begins, it will not be enough to get things back to the way they were before Ebola struck. They will need to be made better. This is all the more imperative because Ebola-affected states should be better prepared for the next health assault, which most likely will come from a more familiar disease — and sooner rather than later.

Indeed, even with zero cases, there will be more indirect casualties of Ebola. Tragically, most of these will be children. In 2014 alone, around 250,000 children in the three countries hardest hit by Ebola missed out on basic yet vital vaccinations. This means that outbreaks of other diseases are now likely to follow: for instance, measles — which is far more infectious than Ebola and kills 400 people globally every day — tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), and polio...

This is very worrying because in many ways childhood immunization is the yardstick for the overall health of a nation...

The World Bank estimates that Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea are likely to lose 12 percent of their combined GDP as a result of the Ebola epidemic. To regain this economic ground and prevent a future disease outbreak, it is essential that the $5.1 billion committed toward Ebola emergency response and recovery in West Africa be used to its maximum potential....
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https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/27/the-next-victims-of-ebola-measles-polio/