As many pundits have observed, Ebola has freshly exposed the weakness of the global public health response, and of national health systems in poor countries. The key components of an effective emergency public health response -- public education, rapid screening and treatment for disease, ethical access to drugs and vaccines, financing and leadership -- are all in limited supply. As in the early days of AIDS, activists see too much politicking and a lack of overall coordination as the key problems, making them critical targets for protest.
