US Ebola response reveals systemic inequities, geopolitical power imbalances, and fragile health infrastructures in the Great Lakes region
Original framing: “[Comment] The US Ebola response and the future of global health leadership” — The Lancet
Genomic sequencing of the Bundibugyo virus confirms a zoonotic spillover from fruit bats, underscoring the need for One Health surveillance that integrates wildlife monitoring with human health data. However, scientific capacity in the region remains limited by brain drain and under‑resourced laboratories, constraining real‑time response.
The US Ebola response, when stripped of its heroic veneer, reveals a web of colonial legacies, inequitable patent regimes, and fragile health infrastructures amplified by conflict and climate‑driven displacement.
Indigenous knowledge systems and artistic expressions offer resilient, community‑rooted alternatives that can be woven into a co‑produced One Health surveillance architecture, while equitable vaccine licensing dismantles the monopoly that sustains global health dependency. By channeling extractive industry revenues into conflict‑sensitive health infrastructure and embedding culturally integrated communication, actors ranging from African ministries to international donors can transform crisis response into sustainable health sovereignty, echoing historical precedents of post‑colonial reconstruction and future‑oriented scenario planning.