Bulletin of Semashko National Research Institute of Public HealthBulletin of Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health2415-84102415-8429FSSBI «N.A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health»1550Научная статьяTHE EPIDEMIC OF EBOLA IN WESTERN AFRICA (2014-2015): HISTORY AND SOCIAL CONTEXTMikhelD. Vdmitrymikhel@mail.ruInstitute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation171220213606508042022Copyright © 2021,2021This article discusses the history and social context of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which lasted from February 2014 to December 2015. In scale, it was one of the largest epidemics of the pre-COVID era. Killing more than 11,000 people, the epidemic triggered panic reactions around the world. The epidemic developed most dramatically in Sierra Leone, a country rich in natural resources but with poor governance and dilapidated health care. When word of Ebola spread outside the country, international humanitarian organizations got involved in the fight against the epidemic, but their help was clearly insufficient. The Ebola epidemic had serious social consequences in Sierra Leone. More than 10,000 people have fallen victim to the deadly virus, and the country's economy, health care and education system have been severely damaged. The epidemic also revealed a high degree of mistrust between the population and the authorities, demonstrating the need for a more effective system of epidemic control.история медициныЗападная АфрикаСьерра-Леонеэпидемия Эболысоциальный контекст1.Richardson E.T., Fallah M.P. The genesis of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. The Lancet infectious disease. 2019, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 348-349.2.Malvy D., McElroy A.K., De Clerk H. et al. Ebola virus disease. The Lancet. 2019, vol. 393, no. 10174, pp. 936-948.3.Wilkin P., Conteh A.A. Neoliberal health reforms and the failure of healthcare in Sierra Leone: The case of the Ebola crisis. African Studies. 2018, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 428-450.4.Pieterse P., Lodge T. When free healthcare is not free. corruption and mistrust in Sierra Leone's primary healthcare system immediately prior to the Ebola outbreak. International health. 2015, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 400-404.5.Sierra Leone 2015 population and housing census: thematic report on socio-economic impact of the Ebola virus disease. New York, UNFPA Sierra Leone, 2017. 42 p.