"Bullard's book does contribute to the current discussion of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in that it is the most comprehensive timeline of how this global disaster was managed, both locally and by international responders. The inclusion of the World Health Organization's cumulative case and death reporting is valuable for researchers making comparisons about how Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone each managed and eradicated this outbreak of the disease." (Sabine Franklin, Medicine, Conflict and Survival, August, 2018)
1) Introduction - A description of the purpose and scope of the work.
2) History of Ebola - A short history of the Ebola virus and previous Ebola outbreaks.
3) Clinical Features of Ebola - A description of the clinical features and treatment of Ebola Virus Disease.
4) Phase I: Initial Outbreak Period (December 2013 - May 14, 2014) - Daily entries for the initial outbreak period. These entries cover the start of the epidemic through May 14, 2014, when the outbreak appeared to be under control and was thought to be almost over.
5) Phase II: Major Outbreak Period (May 15, 2014 - March 5, 2015) - Daily entries for the main outbreak period. These entries cover the period from the discovery of new active cases in West Africa through March 5, 2015, when Liberia discharged its last known Ebola patient.
6) Phase III: Lingering Outbreak Period (March 6, 2015 - Jan 14, 2016) - Daily entries for the period when the major outbreak was over, but low-level transmission continued. These entries cover the period from the "end" of the original outbreak in Liberia, until the West African Ebola outbreak was officially declared over by the World Health Organization.
7) Outbreak Conclusion & Summary - A description of the sporadic Ebola flare-ups after the official end of the outbreak, and summary of events.
8) Appendixes - Several tables will be presented including a timeline of the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak, a table listing the dates of border closings and re-openings, and a table listing epidemiological statistics of the outbreak (#/infected, #/fatalities per country, etc).
Stephan Bullard is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. He studies notable disasters. His previous books include The Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967 and Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima: Curse of the Nuclear Genie.
This powerful history describes the daily progression of the Ebola outbreak that swept across West Africa and struck Europe and America from December 2013 to June 2016. A case study on a massive scale, it follows the narratives of numerous patients as well as the journey of physicians and scientists from discovery to action and from tracking to containment. The unfolding story reveals ever-shifting complexities such as the varied paths the infection took from country to country, the multiple responses of community members, and the occurrence of flare-ups when the outbreak was seemingly over. The book’s finely-documented present-tense reporting records key facts, events, and observations, including:
Routes of Ebola transmission, incubation, symptoms, short- and long-term effects on survivors
Early attempts to understand and contain the virus and curb practices contributing to its spread
Medical, governmental, and public responses, from local education programs to global efforts
Communication and conflict between healthcare workers and communities
Social and economic outcomes of Ebola in the affected nations
Ebola remains incurable, although a vaccine is now available. For members of the medical community, public health officials, medical historians, scholarly professionals, and interested laypeople, A Day-by-Day Chronicle of the 2013-2016 Ebola Outbreak makes starkly clear what we can learn from these events not only for future outbreaks of Ebola, but also for the emergence of as-yet unknown diseases.