The Ebola epidemic has commanded the world’s attention, with over 13,000 reported cases in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization’s latest report as of Nov. 7. Global health organizations have been quick to respond, and have rapidly deployed resources to the heart of the crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Health care workers with the experience and willingness to lend a hand have made international headlines for their work, but also for their bravery as several doctors and nurses have fallen ill to the virus. Others returning from work in affected countries are subjected to quarantine and strict oversight by their home countries upon their return.
The stigma these workers, both local and international, face from their communities is making the human resource challenge of staffing the response even more of an overwhelming task. To keep up with the hiring demands related to the epidemic, global health organizations have prioritized recruitment — in some cases tripling their human resource staff devoted to the cause, as International Medical Corps has done to fill the approximately 300 open positions as a result of the outbreak.
Read more articles on the fight against Ebola:
● Health and relief groups fighting Ebola in West Africa
● The practical challenges of fighting Ebola on the ground
About the author
Kate Warren@KateDWarren
Kate Warren is the Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of Devex, where she leads a global team of journalists, event producers, and communications and marketing professionals to drive conversations around the most pressing and urgent issues of our time, including climate, global health, food security, philanthropy, humanitarian crises, and foreign aid funding. Through live journalism — via in-person and virtual events — along with insider news, analysis, podcasts, content series, and special reports, Kate and her team ensure the most important ideas, voices, and debates reach an influencer audience to drive impact and make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
