Countries in Africa have been working on improving their preparedness in the event of an Ebola outbreak. The WHO teams have provided simulated exercises in hospitals and technical training, for immediate emergency response and communication.

Mamo Jatta is a Regional Public Health and Surveillance Officer in The Gambia and, like many people living near Ebola affected countries, he is concerned the disease will enter his own country, “I recently visited the town where I grew up and wondered what would happen if Ebola were to hit us here, would we be ready for it?”

Experts at WHO have the same concerns – and they are transforming these into action. Ebola has already been exported, albeit resulting only in small outbreaks, from the three most-affected countries to the neighbouring countries of Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. Now, because of their geographic location or trading and migration patterns, 14 additional countries are considered as priority countries, in terms of risk of Ebola importation: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, Togo, The Gambia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.