Author Description

Scientist and international aid expert Marc Maxmeister provides a coherent narrative of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, drawing heavily from the voices of people directly affected by the tragedy. In fourteen chapters it answers the burning questions about how it happened, what exactly happened, and why. It provides answers to the most important question - will Ebola be contained, and how? The second half of the book shows how ground-breaking ideas from first-responder organizations intersect with the best ways to prevent the Ebola outbreak from spreading. Ebola is a crisis where many intractable problems converge: - corruption, fragile states, lack of trust, exploitation, fear mongering, profiteering, education, and complex systems. But innovators have offered solutions that work: - resilience, behavior change, positive deviance, agile development, Lean Startup thinking, and technology that helps people make better decisions. In the final chapter, this book provides practical advice on what you can do to help, and inspiration from local leaders in Liberia and Sierra Leone who have already started to overcome this disease.