The three West African nations ravaged by Ebola could struggle to prevent another major outbreak as vigilance fades among health workers and the public, a health expert said on Monday.

Ebola victims in recent flare-ups in Liberia and Sierra Leone were inspected by health workers who were not wearing protective clothing, while the corpse of one woman victim was washed by several people, contrary to best practice.

Health facilities must reinforce infection prevention and control measures or risk widening the spread of new Ebola outbreaks, according to Armand Sprecher, public health specialist at medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

 How the outbreak and WHO's response unfolded

WHO's response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa had 3 phases. Phase 1 focused on rapid scale-up of the response; phase 2 focused on increasing capacities, phase 3 focused on interrupting all remaining chains of Ebola transmission, and responding to the consequences of residual risks.

Phase 1: Rapid scale-up of the response

In Phase 1 (August – December 2014), WHO and its partners focused on rapid scale-up of the response. This included:

• Increasing the number of Ebola treatment centres and patient beds.
• Rapidly hiring and training teams in safe and dignified burials.
• Strengthening social mobilization capacities.

Work in these areas began in August 2014, as the outbreak exploded, and continued through the end of December. During this period, the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) was launched.

Preventing Diseases From Crossing Borders in West Africa Post-Ebola:

Sierra Leone News: Medical Practitioners school on maternal health