Glantz et al. Ebola and Yellow Fever Crisis Management Insights 11s. Practitioner Cases and Practitioner-Centered Research - Short Papers Proceedings of the ISCRAM 2015 Conference - Kristiansand, May 24-27 Palen, Büscher, Comes & Hughes, eds. Ebola and Yellow Fever Crisis Management Insights Edward J. Glantz The Pennsylvania State University eglantz@psu.edu Frank E. Ritter The Pennsylvania State University frank.ritter@psu.edu Tristan Endsley The Pennsylvania State University tce113@psu.edu ABSTRACT This paper provides insight into crisis management of infectious disease outbreaks by comparing the current 2014 Ebola outbreak with a well-documented 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak. These reflections on crisis approaches and management from a human factors and cognitive engineering perspective may help encourage the application of historical epidemiology to better prepare for the next global infectious disease outbreak. Keywords Ebola, epidemic, outbreak, Yellow Fever. INTRODUCTION From the terrible and deadly Ebola outbreak comes a silver lining in the form of insights to better manage fast spreading infectious disease. Ebola was first identified in 1976, but it was not until 2014 that Ebola traveled across continents. Public health and crisis managers have experienced difficult lessons including some damage to social capital, and loss of life. This is particularly grievous, as many first responders were also persecuted for selfless efforts. This paper begins by investigating parallels between Philadelphia’s 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak, and the 2014 presence of Ebola in the United States, from a human factors and cognitive engineering perspective, then continues by evaluating issues and lessons from the current Ebola outbreak in Africa. This paper serves as a call to apply historical epidemiology to identify potential insights for future crises by conducting thorough evaluations of management successes and failures associated with both current and past outbreaks. It is important to remember that even though Ebola has proven difficult to contain in the difficult conditions of West Africa, Ebola is not the worst-case public health scenario. Evaluations are needed for the current outbreak, as well as anticipation of more infectious contagion. In only a matter of months, for example, the 1918 Spanish Influenza killed over 50 million worldwide (FluGov, 2015). 1793 YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK PARALLELS Ebola is classified as a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). This term describes a group of distinct ribonucleic acid viruses affecting multiple organs and the vascular system, accompanied by “hemorrhage” or bleeding. There is no known cure or drug treatment for most VHFs. VHF begins by zoonosis, where an animal or insect host infects the human. In severe cases, such as Ebola, transmission