At the time of the 2014–2015 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak, Liberia was still recovering from years of civil war and unrest. The country’s infrastructure was very poor, especially in rural regions, where people could not easily travel because of the lack of adequate roads. Liberia’s health system was also weakened by the civil war, leaving health facilities struggling to respond to the EVD outbreak effectively.

There was a lack of basic drugs and medical supplies, as well as the disenchantment of low-paid health workers. In fact, health workers had planned a strike right when the Ebola virus hit. Another challenge was that health workers often lived very long distances away from the health facilities.