Getting to Zero: A Doctor and a Diplomat on the Ebola Frontline

A revealing memoir of resilience, exposing the numerous failures of Western intervention at the centre of West Africa’s Ebola outbreak.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 442 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

In 2014, a 28-year-old British doctor found himself taking on the critical role of co-managing the Ebola isolation unit at Sierra Leone's main hospital after the previous doctor in charge succumbed to the virus. Overwhelmed and enveloped in stifling protective suits, he and his team tirelessly rotated to provide care to the patients while simultaneously removing the deceased bodies from the ward. Despite facing overwhelming odds, he valiantly battled to keep the hospital operational, as the daily influx of sick and dying patients continued to grow.

Just a few miles down the road, the Irish Ambassador and Head of Irish Aid worked tirelessly to rapidly scale up the international response. Despite the quarantine of entire districts, she traveled extensively throughout the country, meeting with UN agencies, the President, and senior ministers to better position herself in alerting the world to the catastrophic unfolding scenario.

In this detailed account, Walsh and Johnson shed light on the often shocking shortcomings of the humanitarian response to the outbreak, both locally and internationally. They also pay tribute to the immense courage of those who risked their lives every day to contain the disease. Their book serves as the definitive account of the fight against an epidemic that shook the world.

Weight: 484g
Dimension: 217 x 148 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781786992482