TIME announced on December 10 that its 2014 Person of the Year is “The Ebola Fighters,” acknowledging the risk, persistence, and sacrifice of the health professionals in West Africa who have been working tirelessly for months to end the Ebola outbreak. TIME emphasized the extreme risk that these people are experiencing; the flaws in the global public health system that have caused the virus to spread rapidly; and the policy implications that emerged worldwide, from legal questions of quarantine in the United States to enhanced international airport screening measures.
NACCHO sincerely thanks the international Ebola fighters for their efforts to end the outbreak in West Africa. We also extend our appreciation to the local health department personnel and other domestic response professionals who have been preparing their communities for and responding to emergent cases of Ebola in the United States. For more on how local public health has played a role in the response to Ebola, and how it will continue to be involved until the outbreak is stopped at the source, view the following stories:
- Health Equity Considerations for Local Health Departments’ Ebola Preparedness Planning: An Interview with Dr. Aletha Maybank
- States Take Preemptive Measures to Guard Against Ebola
- Are Preparedness Funding Cuts Impacting the Capability of Local Health Departments to Respond to Global Health Security Threats?
- MRC Volunteers Aid in Dallas Ebola Response
- Collin County MRC Conducts Contact Tracing and Monitoring for Ebola
