Dear friends,

 

Twelve years ago, while I was President of Liberia, West Africa faced the worst Ebola epidemic in its history. Today, a fresh Ebola outbreak is unfolding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – one whose full extent is not yet known.

The current outbreak features a rare strain of Ebola for which there is currently no vaccine or treatment, with a fatality rate of up to 50%. The risks posed to global public health are thus particularly high. They are also compounded by the devastation caused by armed conflict in the DRC, which has triggered mass displacement and severely weakened already fragile health systems.

These factors mean outbreaks tend to be detected later, spread faster and become harder to control. I saw how this can play out in real time in a World Health Organization simulation in Nairobi, following the Elders’ board meeting. I was encouraged to see that, despite significant budget cuts, the organisation is developing cutting-edge technology and AI-powered tools to strengthen disease surveillance and improve the monitoring of emerging outbreaks.

Liberia was wholly unprepared for such an outbreak when we were confronted with it over a decade ago. Still recovering from years of brutal civil war, public institutions and the health system were severely weakened.

While the international response was initially slow and fragmented, it evolved into a large-scale and coordinated effort. Support from the US, China, Germany, Norway and the African Union, to name a few, allowed us to get a grip on this deadly virus. It was an extraordinary effort of cooperation and collective action – one that must be matched in response to this new outbreak.

I welcome the speed with which the WHO declared this latest outbreak a public health emergency. But the international community must act with the same urgency – deploying resources, protecting health workers, and supporting the people of eastern DRC and Uganda who are on the frontline of this crisis. Yet shrinking aid budgets and growing geopolitical tensions are all active threats to containing it, threatening to weaken coordination at the very moment it is most needed.

I have seen what a pandemic does to a country that is not ready. The world cannot look the other way. It is the duty of all of us as global citizens to ensure that no population is left without the tools and support needed to confront a health emergency. However, let there be no mistake: as with the 2014 Ebola outbreak, this latest strain is not merely a threat to Africa, but to the entire world – and it must be treated as such. A virus does not respect borders and if we do not respond to it adequately now, it could affect us all.

World leaders have still not properly learned the lessons from COVID-19 regarding pandemic preparedness, prevention and response. Last year, WHO member states adopted a historic pandemic treaty, but fundamental questions – particularly around equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, and medicines for poorer countries – remain unresolved.

With another round of negotiations due in July, one of the few remaining windows for progress now lies before us. Reaching consensus will require compromise on all sides, and both political leaders and negotiators must show the resolve needed to secure an agreement.

We must treat this latest Ebola outbreak, and the Hantavirus outbreak, as a reminder that health needs to be treated as a strategic geopolitical priority. In Africa alone, the WHO recorded 146 emergency disease outbreaks last year. Outbreaks will continue. We must, together, be better prepared to manage them.

 

With thanks for your ongoing support,

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

11/06/2026

 

 

“This latest strain of Ebola is not merely a threat to Africa, but to the entire world – and it must be treated as such. A virus does not respect borders and if we do not respond to it adequately now, it could affect us all.”

– Ellen Johnson Sirleaf