Insight into Ebola as a Public Health Issue

Amid all the turmoil of Ebola the interview in Science with the Nigerian President of their Academy of Sciences is the most telling. It should be mandatory reading for all politicians.

For example he states:

People say African countries are poor. But it’s not poverty. It’s misuse of what we have. As we are talking, with all the crises that are going on, the presidents of our countries are still traveling in the best of conditions. Some will come to New York in their private jets, although their national airlines collapsed years ago; in addition, they will bring along a long retinue of private, personal, and public assistants, all lodged in the best hotels. I am not saying the president should not be treated well, but these are issues we need to look at. Take my country: We do not have a national airline, but the number of private jets we have is more than all the airlines in Africa have together.

 Almost sounds like a Secret Service trip.

But the point is that the solution must be enacted by the country. The west alone cannot always take the burden and responsibility. Nigeria acted, almost as an afterthought. The others, if one reads this correctly, failed at the beginning and are continuing to do so.