Due to weak surveillance systems and poor public health infrastructure, Ebola Virus Diseases quickly spread to Guinea's bordering countries. In July 2014, CDC personnel deployed to West Africa to assist with response efforts, such as surveillance, contact tracing, data management, laboratory testing, and health education. Laboratory capacities for testing were also increased.  Healthcare workers in West Africa were also trained in infection prevention and control practices. The outbreak of 2014-2016 was eventually contained due to engaging local leaders in prevention programs and policy implementation at the national and global levels. These countries were not prepared to deal with Ebola Virus and did not anticipate for it to spread as it did. Officials could have implemented measures sooner which could have potentially slowed the spread. Healthcare workers were also not trained to deal with something like this and did not have the resources necessary to combat this disease. Leadership officials should have taken initiative sooner by implementing policies to stop EVD from spreading to neighboring countries. 

https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html

The Ebola virus not only had physical effects but also societal and sociological impacts as well. The disease spread panic, fear, and uncertainty throughout the world. Infection prevention was implemented to help reduce the spread of EVD, which is something that was new for many people. Measures were taken to ensure that individuals who were affected were isolated to reduce the spread. There was also mistrust between the people and officials, as traditional burials were implemented without relatives' consent, which is a sacred cultural tradition. This mistrust caused people to not adhere to preventative measures. From EVD, society learned the importance of infection prevention and control as well as adopting safe practices. We also learned the importance of communication and having the trust of communities and how that can play a role in slowing/stopping the spread.  What we learned from Ebola was a valuable lesson for addressing future disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19.  



https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4709130/

Something that I learned about this disease that surprised me was the transmission of this disease between people, which is direct contact with blood or body fluids of a person who is sick or has EVD. I found this interesting because I originally thought that Ebola was airborne. I also learned that the CDC helped West Africa a lot during the outbreak in 2014 by sending out a response team to help officials and healthcare workers in West Africa combat this disease.

When coming across my research I saw a lot of articles that were comparing the Ebola virus to COVID-19, not only comparing the diseases' but also comparing the response from officials and the population's perception of the disease as well. I think it would be interesting for a Padlet assignment to compare the disease we chose to COVID-19, and how our disease outbreak shaped how we responded to COVID-19.