Long-Term Effects of the Ebola Outbreak on Malaria and Other Infectious Diseases

Reduction in Malaria Control Interventions

The Ebola crisis seriously interrupted the malaria control measures being carried out, including the distribution of LLINs, IRS, and mass drug administration campaigns. Most important, those control measures are pivotal in the reduction of the transmission of malaria in regions where the disease is endemic.

Global and local efforts at malaria control more or less ceased as resources and priorities were redirected to the containment of the immediate acute Ebola emergency. In many of these areas, the regular incidence of simple malaria was then recorded again as these efforts relaxed. Due to the fact that typical coverage of anti-malarial prevention efforts was reduced and exposure increased, as there was no specific concentrated protection campaign, cases of malaria increased.

Besides, the risk of contracting Ebola also minimized the bravery of community health workers who declined to make home visits for the prevention and treatment of malaria. This, coupled with the fear from the members of the public of collaborating with the health workers, made it even harder to contain the epidemic of malaria.

Increase in Cases and Deaths

This dramatic rise in the number of malaria cases and deaths resulted from the suspension of malaria control programs and the breakdown of health services. In fact, research conducted during and after the outbreak revealed that the incidence of malaria actually rose in the affected areas. Indeed, in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone alone, three of the countries worst affected by the outbreak of Ebola, the incidence of neglected cases of malaria shot through the roof.

An increase in the number of malaria cases was therefore paralleled by an increase in the number of deaths due to malaria. The super infections could not be treated early enough to prevent their complications, and effective treatment could not be administered. This, therefore, killed many malaria patients, specifically children and pregnant women, since they are at very high risk of getting the disease. Increased malaria mortality above normal rates was due to the implications of the Ebola disaster on the health system.

Long-term Health Implications

The long-term health impact of the Ebola outbreak is that more people fall into its grip. The ordinary running down of healthcare services during the outbreak left most of the people in the affected zones with long-term effects on their general health. The available immunization programs were interrupted, leading to a resurgence of other preventable diseases like measles, cholera, and yellow fever.

The health care infrastructure makes it even more difficult for the countries to fully stand on their feet after an outbreak. The resurgence of malaria and other infectious diseases adds pressure to already debilitated health care systems. The fear of Ebola and the consequent stigma also forced many into blindly distancing themselves from getting care, further complicating the efforts to manage the resurgence of those diseases.

Reconstruction of the Health System and Lessons Learned

Indeed, the Ebola outbreak showed that resilient health systems can withstand the shocks of a public health emergency situation without failing in the delivery of basic services. Communities have since begun rebuilding and strengthening health systems in those countries that were most affected. Such reconstruction processes involve restoration and enhancement of the coverage of malaria control programs that were affected by the Ebola outbreak, improvement in health infrastructure, and training of the healthcare workforce to address multiple health threats simultaneously.

Other major lessons learned from the outbreak of Ebola concern the integration of the disease surveillance and response system. The outbreak has also demonstrated the need for an integrated approach to public health, including early warning systems, swift response, and continuous monitoring towards the timely and proper control of infectious diseases. This requires strengthening these systems to prevent future outbreaks from causing devastation in other health services.

Also, public health programs had to be community-based. In the Ebola outbreak, community resistance and mistrust were major barriers to stopping the epidemic. It is obvious that trust would need to be created before any care or agreement for prevention or treatment becomes available universally among care providers and bodies of communities for malaria or any other infectious disease.

The response to the Ebola outbreak was indeed multifaceted, and much of the international support made up one of the major needs in the recovery and building process. Other international organizations involved included the WHO, the CDC, and many NGOs that rendered both technical and financial help to the countries affected.

This has supported the critical strengthening of health systems and revitalization programs for malaria control. This, however, cannot be sustained over the period unless further investment is applied in the health systems, not forgetting the functional local capacity to manage and respond to further health crises.

Conclusion

The Ebola outbreak of 2014–2016 therefore had far-reaching consequences for general public health in West Africa, particularly in malaria and other infectious disease control. Health services were disrupted, programs for the control of malaria were put on hold, and cases and deaths from malaria increased tremendously, all underscoring how health systems interlink and how necessary it is to ensure continued service delivery at times of public health crisis.

“As the affected countries rebuild and map a way forward for their health systems, lessons learned from this deadly of it. The Ebola outbreak needs to be used as a template to prevent any other future health crisis from taking as much human life. Of particular importance too are efforts at building back resilient health systems, restoring and supporting trust within communities, and securing in the long term the most needed services during a crisis.”

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