As the Ebola outbreak progresses, news outlets examine lessons learned over the past six months and from past epidemics.

Associated Press: Lessons learned 6 months into worst Ebola outbreak
“Six months into the biggest-ever Ebola outbreak, scientists say they know more about how the deadly virus behaves. The first cases were reported in Guinea by the World Health Organization on March 23 — before spreading to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and elsewhere. Here’s a look at what scientists have learned so far…” (Cheng, 9/23).

Foreign Policy: Colonial Lines Drawn Again for Ebola Aid
“…[A] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report released Monday sheds light on a different kind of neocolonialism taking form in the region’s Ebola crisis: Rather than coordinating an effort to combat the massive outbreak, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France are instead sending disproportionate amounts of aid to the territories they once controlled…” (O’Grady, 9/22).

IRIN: Briefing: Ebola lessons from Uganda
“There have been five Ebola outbreaks in Uganda over the past 14 years; these have been quickly contained thanks to a combination of epidemiological luck and a well-coordinated response system operating at several levels of the health service…” (9/22).

NPR: Ebola Battlers Can Learn From Venice’s Response To Black Death
“…Venice’s response to the plague crisis serves as a model for modern cities and nations facing unpredictable threats. That’s the perspective of several experts on risk management who write on Venice’s response in the latest issue of the journal Environment Systems and Decisions…” (Shea, 9/20).