JAMA Viewpoint: Public Health Preparedness for Ebola in the United States

WASHINGTON (October 17, 2014 – Following the diagnosis of the first Ebola case in the U.S., attention on public health preparedness has been heightened. In a JAMA Viewpoint published online today, Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, Georgetown University Professor and faculty director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, and colleagues examine the vulnerabilities revealed in Dallas, Texas, and how the country can respond more effectively to emerging diseases in a globalized world.

“After the country has spent more than a decade developing preparedness programs and laws, isolated Ebola cases reveal the vital need to build a stronger system for detecting and treating infectious diseases, evaluating and improving performance, and committing to the basic institutions and professionals charged with protecting the public’s health,” the authors write.

Click here to read the viewpoint.

Authors:
Lawrence O. Gostin, JD
Director, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
Georgetown University Law Center

James G. Hodge Jr., JD
Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law
Arizona State University

Scott Burris, JD
Beasley School of Law
Temple University