The year began with completion of the assessment to determine preparedness and readiness measures of countries of the Region to prevent, detect and respond to Ebola threats. 20 out of 22 countries in the Region were assessed involving over 100 staff and consultants. The assessment was conducted in six core capacities of public health systems that were needed by all countries to detect, respond and contain rapidly an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD): leadership and coordination; public health measures at points of entry; surveillance and contact tracing; infection prevention and control; laboratory diagnosis; and risk communication. The assessment was carried out in a standardized manner using WHO assessment tools.