ABSTRACT
The Ebola crisis, after the H1N1 crisis, gave rise to serious criticisms of WHO's leadership and management, its slow reaction to the epidemic and its inadequate operational action. The Ebola virus causes an acute, serious illness which is often fatal if untreated: its average case fatality rate is around 50 per cent. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines found ill or dead in the rain forest. The Board agreed in principle to the establishment of a contingency fund to deal with emergencies and requested the Director-General to commission an interim assessment by a panel of outside independent experts on all aspects of WHO's response to the Ebola outbreak.
