Ebola and Covid-19 in Sierra Leone comparative lessons of epidemics for society

This case study focuses on two epidemic diseases in Sierra Leone. Ebola in 2014-15 drew international response, but was contained within the Upper West African region. Covid-19 reached Sierra Leone in April 2020 as part of a global pandemic. Comparing the two cases allows closer examination of historical context as a factor shaping medical emergencies. Ebola response references Sierra Leone's history as a humanitarian project associated with the abolition slavery. The pandemic challenge of Covid-19 draws attention to Sierra Leone's nodal position within a global diaspora shaped by Atlantic slavery and emancipation. Responders to Covid-19 draw on experience of Ebola but need also to consider the way the pandemic has articulated with diasporic calls for global social justice.