Opinion: Learning about epidemic response from sub-Saharan African countries

In 2014, as one of us (A.T.D.) lay dying in an Ebola treatment center in Liberia, losing hope as the disease progressed, a hospital cleaner offered what could have been a final pep talk. “Doctors have fought for you,” he said. “Don’t let their hard work go to waste.” That, or perhaps a miracle, pulled her through.

In the past week, amid increasing calls for lessons to inform the U.S.’s response to Covid-19, we thought of that cleaner’s words. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa lack critical resources, but they have a wealth of expertise in outbreak preparedness and response — from Ebola and Marburg to yellow fever — and we can learn a lot from listening to them.