Serosurvey on healthcare personnel caring for patients with Ebola virus disease and Lassa virus in the United States

AbstractObjective:Healthcare personnel (HCP) were recruited to provide serum samples, which were tested for antibodies against Ebola or Lassa virus to evaluate for asymptomatic seroconversion.Setting:From 2014 to 2016, 4 patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) and 1 patient with Lassa fever (LF) were treated in the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit (SCDU) at Emory University Hospital. Strict infection control and clinical biosafety practices were implemented to prevent nosocomial transmission of EVD or LF to HCP.Participants:All personnel who entered the SCDU who were required to measure their temperatures and complete a symptom questionnaire twice daily were eligible.Results:No employee developed symptomatic EVD or LF. EVD and LF antibody studies were performed on sera samples from 42 HCP. The 6 participants who had received investigational vaccination with a chimpanzee adenovirus type 3 vectored Ebola glycoprotein vaccine had high antibody titers to Ebola glycoprotein, but none had a response to Ebola nucleoprotein or VP40, or a response to LF antigens.Conclusions:Patients infected with filoviruses and arenaviruses can be managed successfully without causing occupation-related symptomatic or asymptomatic infections. Meticulous attention to infection control and clinical biosafety practices by highly motivated, trained staff is critical to the safe care of patients with an infection from a special pathogen.

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Ebola virus disease: Case management in the Institute of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.8203 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (05) ◽

pp. 537-543 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Giulia Bertoli ◽

Marco Mannazzu ◽

Giordano Madeddu ◽

Riccardo Are ◽

Alberto Muredda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Diseases ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

University Hospital ◽

Governmental Organization ◽

Medical Division ◽

Disease Case

Since the onset of the worst epidemic of Ebola virus disease in December 2013, 28,637 cases were reported as confirmed, probable, or suspected. Since the week of 3 January 2016, no more cases have been reported. The total number of deaths have amounted to 11,315 (39.5%). In developed countries, seven cases have been diagnosed: four in the United States, one in Spain, one in the United Kingdom, and one in Italy. On 20 July 2015, Italy was declared Ebola-free. On 9 May 2015, an Italian health worker came back to Italy after a long stay in Sierra Leone working for a non-governmental organization. Forty-eight hours after his arrival, he noticed headache, weakness, muscle pains, and slight fever. The following day, he was safely transported to the Infectious Diseases Unit of University Hospital of Sassari. The patient was hospitalized for 19 hours until an Italian Air Force medical division transferred him to Rome, to the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute. Nineteen people who had contacts with the patient were monitored daily for 21 days by the Public Health Office of Sassari and none presented any symptoms. So far, neither vaccine nor treatment is available to be proposed on an international scale. Ebola is considered a re-emerging infectious disease which, unlike in the past, has been a worldwide emergency. This case study aimed to establish a discussion about the operative and logistic difficulties to be faced and about the discrepancy arising when protocols clash with the reality of facts.

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Ebola Virus Disease in the United States

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

10.1016/b978-0-12-804230-4.00007-8 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 95-103

Author(s):

Adnan I Qureshi

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

The United States ◽

Ebola Virus Disease

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Tweeting about Ebola: Analysis of Tweets from Africa, Europe and the United States During Two Months of the 2019 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2019 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Disaster Management (ICT-DM) ◽

10.1109/ict-dm47966.2019.9032979 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Chad Priest ◽

Doyle Groves

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Virus Disease ◽

The United States ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Republic Of The Congo

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Ebola Virus: a Clear and Present Danger

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.03115-14 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 4-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Eileen M. Burd

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

The United States ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Burial Practices ◽

Western Africa ◽

Medical Facilities ◽

Risk Patients ◽

Clear And Present Danger

An epidemic of Ebola virus disease is occurring in Western Africa on a scale not seen before, particularly in the countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The continued spread is facilitated by insufficient medical facilities, poor sanitation, travel, and unsafe burial practices. Several patients diagnosed with Ebola virus disease in Africa have been evacuated to the United States for treatment, and several other patients have been diagnosed in the United States. It is important for laboratories to be aware of available tests, especially those granted emergency use authorization, as hospitals prepare protocols for the diagnosis and management of high-risk patients.

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Infectious Disease Physician Assessment of Hospital Preparedness for Ebola Virus Disease

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofv087 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Philip M. Polgreen ◽

Scott Santibanez ◽

Lisa M. Koonin ◽

Mark E. Rupp ◽

Susan E. Beekmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

United States ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

The United States ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Teaching Hospitals ◽

Emerging Infections ◽

First Case ◽

Hospital Preparedness

Abstract Background. The first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States and subsequent cases among 2 healthcare workers caring for that patient highlighted the importance of hospital preparedness in caring for Ebola patients. Methods. From October 21, 2014 to November 11, 2014, infectious disease physicians who are part of the Emerging Infections Network (EIN) were surveyed about current Ebola preparedness at their institutions. Results. Of 1566 EIN physician members, 869 (55.5%) responded to this survey. Almost all institutions represented in this survey showed a substantial degree of preparation for the management of patients with suspected and confirmed Ebola virus disease. Despite concerns regarding shortages of personal protective equipment, approximately two thirds of all respondents reported that their facilities had sufficient and ready availability of hoods, full body coveralls, and fluid-resistant or impermeable aprons. The majority of respondents indicated preference for transfer of Ebola patients to specialized treatment centers rather than caring for them locally. In general, we found that larger hospitals and teaching hospitals reported higher levels of preparedness. Conclusions. Prior to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's plan for a tiered approach that identified specific roles for frontline, assessment, and designated treatment facilities, our query of infectious disease physicians suggested that healthcare facilities across the United States were making preparations for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of Ebola patients. Nevertheless, respondents from some hospitals indicated that they were relatively unprepared.

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