Among the factors cited as contributing to the malfunction of AFRO are a shortage of human resources and budgetary limitations. There were not even 10 staff members working in the department of AFRO handling emergency responses at that time, and the Office had also been limited by budget cuts in recent years. It has been pointed out that functions of AFRO pertaining to surveillance and support of countries where outbreaks of infectious diseases occurred did not function adequately (WHO Ebola Interim Assessment Panel, 2015, para. Regional offices are highly independent and operate based on rules under an organizational structure that is unique to their respective regions.