WHO must take some blame for ebola crisis

The WHO chief wasn’t told of the scale of the crisis until three months after it was detected and bureaucratic messes delayed deployment of vital aid, write Jason Gale and John Lauerman

POOR communication, a lack of leadership, and underfunding plagued the World Health Organization’s initial response to the ebola outbreak, allowing the disease to spiral out of control.

In one instance, medics weren’t deployed because they weren’t issued visas. In another, bureaucratic hurdles delayed the spending of $500,000 (€391,000) intended to support the disease response. Meanwhile, fresh information on the outbreak from experts in the field was slow to reach headquarters, while contact-tracers refused to work on concern they wouldn’t get paid.