Inside Story

Ebola: Winning a battle but losing the war?

Can lessons be learned from Nigeria’s success in containing the deadly virus?

Nigeria is being praised for containing the Ebola virus and from preventing it spreading in Africa’s most populous nation.

The underlying formula for success: taking immediate measures to contain the virus, and raising public awareness. On the face of it, simple steps, but effective ones.

Running parallel to this is the race to roll out vaccines.

The World Health Organisation says it hopes to begin testing two experimental vaccines in west Africa by January – at this stage on thousands of frontline healthcare workers.

The world’s worst outbreak of Ebola has so far claimed the lives of more than 4,500 people. 

But with some health experts warning that there could be 10,000 new cases a week by the end of the year, turning the corner is becoming an increasingly more pressing priority.

Nigeria declared a national public health emergency when Ebola was first confirmed, and was able to reach every person who came into contact with the virus.

The government also redirected many of the resources that were already in place, to deal with things such as polio and cholera.

It is raising questions about where the fight against Ebola should be concentrated: On experimental and expensive vaccines – or should the focus be on frontline health services and public awareness? 

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests: 

Abdulsalam Nasidi – director of Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control. 

Doctor Ian Jones – professor of virology at Reading University.

Florian Westphal – general director of Doctors Without Borders in Germany.