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As fragile healthcare systems in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone struggle with one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership has mobilised its global Secretariat to support efforts to restore the provision of essential health services in the affected countries. Several RBM staff are being deployed to assess existing country capacity to ensure that malaria cases are being properly detected, and not going untreated in the haste to identify the Ebola disease. Ebola and malaria share common symptoms, including fever and vomiting, and it is critical that malaria cases be diagnosed and treated effectively. "Testing, treating and tracking malaria in these countries will help significantly in the management of Ebola cases" says Dr Thomas Teuscher, Acting Executive Director of the RBM Partnership. "Without basic health services, including malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment, the health and economic gains that have been built up in the region through more than a decade of investment in disease management may be lost." In the coming weeks, Dr Teuscher will travel to West Africa to work with RBM partners and experts from the sub-regions on strengthening case management of both diseases.