What Went Wrong? The World Health Organization from Swine Flu to Ebola

Since 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been actively promoting its ability to manage global health security. Recent events such as the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak have, however, led to questions being raised about the WHO’s abilities and extensive calls for the organisation’s reform. This chapter examines a series of mistakes and the structural, cultural, political and epidemiological factors that contributed to the WHO’s mishandling of the first pandemic of the twenty-first century and the world’s largest ever outbreak of Ebola. The chapter then concludes by examining the reforms currently being implemented to strengthen the WHO’s global health security capabilities and what these signify for the future.