Outbreak

Gr 9 Up—This masterful piece of investigative journalism traces the devastating path that Ebola recently took throughout Western Africa. In December 2013, two-year-old Emile Ouamouno from Guinea fell ill and died after coming into contact with an infected bat. When Emile's infected grandmother traveled to Sierra Leone, the disease began to spread. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders was aware of the severity of the situation and tried to sound the alarm, but officials, both within the African governments of the countries affected and the World Health Organization (WHO), were reluctant to take the actions necessary to halt the spread. Hundreds of deaths later (and after it arrived in densely populated Nigeria), WHO finally declared an international health emergency and a coordinated effort was launched in July 2014. The film weaves riveting footage taken during the height of the disaster (often from cell phones or iPads) with interviews and commentary from survivors, nurses, and doctors on the ground, as well as government officials. The documentary lays out the time line of events, and it is clear that at many points disaster could have been averted. In a statement that is a warning and challenge, Bruce Aylward, WHO's assistant director-general states, "Ebola is not an exception. Ebola is a precedent." Outbreak compels us to do better in the future.