Ebola Interim Assessment Panel: report by the Secretariat

Overview

During the special session of the Executive Board on Ebola in January 2015, Member States adopted a resolution calling for an interim assessment, by a panel of outside independent experts, on all aspects of WHO’s response in the Ebola outbreak.1 In response to the resolution, the DirectorGeneral established a panel to undertake this work in early March 2015. Since this time, the Panel has reviewed significant numbers of reports and met with key people within and outside WHO, including senior WHO staff, representatives of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, international nongovernmental organizations and Member States. By the time the Health Assembly meets, the Panel will also have carried out visits to the severely affected countries and to the Regional Office for Africa. This report has been prepared in advance of the visits, and does not yet encompass the information gained by the Panel in the countries themselves or at the regional level. The final report will incorporate lessons learnt, including what has and has not worked in the field.

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Ebola Interim Assessment Panel Final Report Correction

In paragraph 53, the Panel stated that command and control in Sierra Leone was not under civilian leadership when the UK military came in to coordinate the response. This statement was based on interviews conducted in the field. Since the publication of the report, the Panel has been advised by the UK government that this statement is incorrect. Large numbers of military personnel deployed, especially in the early phase, may have resulted in the perception that the response was led by the UK military. However, it was, in fact, under civilian leadership and oversight.