Global Emergency Legal Responses to the 2014 Ebola Outbreak

8 Pages Posted: 29 Jan 2015

See all articles by James G. Hodge

James G. Hodge

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Leila Barraza

University of Arizona - Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Greg Measer

Network for Public Health Law

Asha Agrawal

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Date Written: December 1, 2014

Abstract

From their relative obscurity over the past three decades, varied strains of Ebola disease have emerged as a substantial global biothreat. The current outbreak of Ebola, beginning in March 2014 in Guinea, is projected to infect tens of thousands of people before being brought under control. Some estimate the outbreak could exceed 100,000 cases and extend another 12-18 months. Ebola’s spread has the potential to extend across the globe, but is concentrated in several African countries (e.g., Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria, and Senegal). Collectively, these countries are home to nearly 290 million people. Among Liberia’s population of 4.1 million, over 1,100 people have already died from Ebola in less than 6 months; by comparison, if this same outbreak and death rate occurred in the United States, over 88,000 Americans would perish. With the numbers of infected still expanding and reported mortality rates exceeding 40% of those infected, international, national, and regional governments have launched various states of emergency authorizing a plethora of public health powers.

Suggested Citation

Hodge, James G. and Barraza, Leila and Measer, Greg and Agrawal, Asha, Global Emergency Legal Responses to the 2014 Ebola Outbreak (December 1, 2014). Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Vol. 42, No. 4, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2557027

James G. Hodge (Contact Author)

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law ( email )

Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
111 E. Taylor Street, MC 9520
Phoenix, AZ 85004-4467
United States
480-727-8576 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://law.asu.edu/degree-programs/public-health-law-policy

Leila Barraza

University of Arizona - Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health ( email )

Tucson, AZ

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law ( email )

Box 877906
Tempe, AZ 85287-7906
United States

Greg Measer

Network for Public Health Law ( email )

Saint Paul, MN
United States

Asha Agrawal

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law ( email )

Box 877906
Tempe, AZ 85287-7906
United States

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