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All text from this work may be reprinted freely. Use of these materials should be properly cited. Events such as the β West Africa epidemic of Ebola virus disease highlight the importance of the capacity to detect and respond to public health threats.
We describe capacity-building efforts during and after the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea and public health progress that was made as a result of the Ebola response in 4 key areas: emergency response, laboratory capacity, surveillance, and workforce development. We further highlight ways in which capacity-building efforts such as those used in West Africa can be accelerated after a public health crisis to improve preparedness for future events.
Keywords: Capacity building, outbreak, Ebola virus, Ebola, epidemic, response, global health security, hemorrhagic fever, public health, international cooperation, investments, West Africa, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, viruses, Ebola virus disease, EVD. The Ebola epidemic that was first recognized in and ravaged the West Africa countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea was a stark illustration of the risks that emerging pathogens and epidemic-prone diseases pose to local and global health security in settings that had limited public health capacity.
These countries are among the least developed in the world 2 , and their weak infrastructures and underfunded health systems were further compromised by the epidemic. During the initial months of the Ebola epidemic, limited capacity to rapidly identify suspected cases, confirm diagnoses, and implement preventive measures contributed to widespread transmission 3.
