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WHO’s role in Ebola crisis is criticised by all sides

BMJ 2015; 351 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h6385 (Published 25 November 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;351:h6385
  1. Adrian O’Dowd
  1. 1London

Clinicians, a government minister, and public health experts have all criticised the World Health Organization during a parliamentary evidence session on its handling of the recent Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa.

MPs on the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee heard from various witnesses that WHO had failed to act quickly enough and had “actively downplayed” the scale of the problem initially, leading to more deaths.

The criticisms came during an evidence session for the committee’s inquiry into science in emergencies and what lessons the United Kingdom could draw from the recent Ebola outbreak. The outbreak in west Africa, which began in late 2013 but was first reported in March 2014, led to the deaths of more than 11 000 people in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

MPs asked about a report published in …

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