Enrique Ubieta Gomez. Red Zone: Cuba and the Battle against Ebola in West Africa. New York: Pathfinder, 2019. Translated from Spanish by Catriona Goss. 250 pp. Maps. Photos. References. Index. $17.00. Paper. ISBN: 978-1-60488-114-1.

Abstract

Infectious diseases at pandemic level have had a devastating impact on humanity for many centuries. Therefore, understanding and managing the vectors and factors that propagate these diseases is paramount to human survival. Red Zone: Cuba and the battle against Ebola in West Africa by Enrique Ubieta Gomez represents one effort to understand the role of a nation-state and front-line workers in handling the Ebola crisis. The lessons of cooperation and determination presented in this book can be used in future pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world.The book highlights the roles of the Cuban medical corps (healthcare workers) from Cuba in combating Ebola in West Africa. In addition to discussing their activities in West Africa, the author draws attention to other locations such as South America, Asia, and Southern Africa, where they also responded to disasters. Further, the author reviews the cooperation among medical personnel from different countries that are hitherto geo-political foes. For example, the United States and Cuba had no diplomatic alliance at the time of the Ebola missions, yet healthcare workers put aside national political bickering and worked unitedly to save lives in the "Ebola battlefield" in West Africa. The author presents many glorious moments that the political world can learn from, to help move humanity to a better place. When humans put their political, social, and cultural differences aside, they can achieve higher goals beneficial to all.The author examines a plethora of factors that exacerbated the Ebola crisis, that future students of public health and policy making could study with reference to combatting pandemics. Such factors include effective cultural and communication methods, along with allaying doubts, misinformation, and uncertainties about the disease. An understanding of these factors and a rejection of misinformation would help in future efforts to fight pandemics.The book discusses several "specific" reasons for the Ebola outbreak in the section "Ebola: Doubts and Certainties" (187-205). As the author argues, "… many of these reasons are macabre (suspicious) and not credible" (189). For example, it was alleged that the Ebola outbreak was a result of military