Alex Park on why the World Health Organization doesnt have enough funding to fight Ebola: -Erika With the Ebola virus continuing its spread throughout West Africa—and landing this week in a fifth country, Senegal—the custodians of global health are becoming more adamant that the world is not doing enough to stop the deadly pathogen. That is, the rich nations of the world are not providing sufficient resources for the fight against Ebola. World Health Organization leaders came to Washington last week to ask for $600 million to build and administer new treatment centers in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone—the three countries with the most infections—and provide safe burials for victims in those countries. This is essential, given that the killer virus spreads via bodily fluids, and many people have contracted the disease through contact with the bodies of dead Ebola victims. Due to budget constraints, the WHO had only a limited presence in West Africa at the time of the outbreak and it failed to detect and contain the virus before it got out of control. These poor countries had to deal with the crisis on their own during the epidemics earliest stages. The WHOs earlier budget cuts also caused the organization to lose some of the senior staff most qualified to lead a response. So why was the WHO caught flat-footed? One reason: international governmental support for the WHO has leveled off in recent years, failing to keep up with rising needs. Most of the WHOs budget is funded by contributions from member states—about 80 percent of its 2011 budget came from annual dues and voluntary donations from governments. The remainder is financed by donations from large foundations and organizations, such as Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 18:00:01 +0000
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