Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is calling attention to the need for long-term investment in health care infrastructure in order to prevent a repeat of the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 4,500 people.

In a Washington Post op-ed, President Sirleaf said the international reaction was slow, allowing Ebola to spread in a way that overwhelmed her country’s health system.

She said the steps being taken now, such as U.S. soldiers helping set up treatment centers, would not be needed if the health care system were able to quickly and effectively respond at the beginning stages of an outbreak.

The president cited Uganda as an example where training and resources have enabled doctors to “recognize symptoms and isolate patients immediately” and also be protected themselves.

Sirleaf said examining ways to prevent future outbreaks is the way to “properly honor” those who have died.

Liberia and its neighbors Guinea and Sierra Leone have been the hardest hit, with more than 9,100 cases of Ebola.

The outbreak has also spread to areas outside of West Africa, including Spain, where authorities say a nurse who contracted Ebola while caring for two infected priests now appears to be free of the disease.
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