Doctor who discovered Ebola says the WHO's Africa office is 'really not competent'

The Associated Press has obtained a draft document from the World Health Organization in which the U.N. group reportedly admits its Ebola shortcomings.

"Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall," the WHO apparently said in the document. "A perfect storm was brewing, ready to burst open in full force." The document blames the WHO's "botched attempts" to stop Ebola's spread in West Africa on "incompetent staff" and "a lack of information," AP notes.

The document goes on to say that the WHO offices in Africa have succumbed to "politically motivated appointments," since Dr. Luis Sambo, the WHO's regional director in Africa, does not report to Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO chief, in Geneva. AP adds that the document contains a "timeline on the Ebola outbreak" and will "probably not be released publicly."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Dr. Peter Piot, one of the doctors who discovered the Ebola virus, issued a similar statement to AP on Friday, saying that the WHO's Africa office "is really not competent." Piot also argued that the WHO should have declared Ebola an international health emergency sooner than August.

On a positive note, the WHO reported Friday that Senegal's Ebola outbreak is officially over.