Ebola: Health chiefs attacked

THE World Health Organisation is unfit to deal with global emergencies, according to a review in the wake of the ebola crisis.

A panel led by Dame Barbara Stocking, former head of Oxfam GB, found issues with the structure of the WHO and its actions.

The epidemic, which began in West Africa in December 2013 and killed 11,000, was not declared a public health emergency by WHO until August 2014.

The independent report said that the WHO lacked a ‘culture of rapid decision-making’ and was not proactive enough, calling for leadership changes. It said: ‘The world simply cannot afford another period of inaction until the next health crisis.’

The WHO said it had already moved forward with some of the recommendations.