scholarly journals 774. Sexual Behaviors and Attitudes of Intimate Partners of Ebola Survivors

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S431-S432
Author(s):  
Hannah M Cunningham ◽  
David Wohl ◽  
Sam Tozay ◽  
Edwina Reeves ◽  
Korto Pewu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Sexual Transmission ◽  
World Health ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Intimate Partners ◽  
Male Survivors ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Survey Responses

Abstract Background Sexual transmission of the Ebola virus (EBOV) from male survivors to their partners has been well-documented. While studies have characterized the sexual behaviors of male survivors of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), there is little focus on their intimate partners. This study seeks to describe the attitudes and sexual behaviors of women who have had condomless sex with male survivors of the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in Liberia, West Africa. Methods Participants were recruited through voluntary referral by their sexual partners, all of whom were participants in a longitudinal EVD survivor cohort. From February to March 2020, 30 women (age range: 19-53 years) were enrolled and surveyed regarding their sexual behaviors with a focus on perceptions of risk for acquisition of Ebola from their partners and the measures taken to address this risk. Mix method quantitative and qualitative assessment of survey responses was completed. Content analysis was used to consider open-ended questionnaire responses. Results Few women reported full compliance with the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for safer sex with EVD survivor partners, but 50% described utilization of a safer se x strategy to reduce risk of transmission. Major themes identified include: (1) an inaccurate perception of no or low risk of sexual transmission of Ebola virus, (2) negative attitudes towards condoms, (3) a preference for abstinence among those seeking to avoid infection, and (4) positive attitudes towards health care worker advice. Conclusions Future outbreaks will benefit from intervention programs to address knowledge gaps among women and their male survivor partner regarding the risk of sexual transmission of Ebola and clear communication about effective strategies to reduce this risk. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Quarantine for Zika Virus? Where is the Science?

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 704-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi L. Koenig
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Rapid Test ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
World Health ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Spread Of Infection

AbstractIn January 2016, the World Health Organization warned that Zika virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas and that up to 4 million infections could be present worldwide within a year. Soon thereafter, some politicians and authors publicly advocated for quarantine of travelers returning from regions where mosquitoes carrying Zika virus are prevalent. The public health tool of quarantine can be used to prevent the spread of infection by restricting the movement of persons who have been exposed to a deadly disease that can be transmitted from person to person before symptom onset. With 80% of Zika virus infections being asymptomatic, no rapid test being available to detect the virus, and primary transmission being via the bites of certain mosquitoes, application of quarantine in this setting is not scientifically sound or practically feasible. Rather, public health interventions should focus on preventing bites from infected mosquitoes, counseling pregnant women on the risks of fetal microcephaly and other birth defects, and identifying patients with signs and symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome. As was seen in the Ebola virus disease outbreak of 2014, non-evidence-based factors can influence policy decisions. Public health experts must ensure that policy makers are informed that quarantine is not a scientifically sound approach for the control of Zika virus. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;0:1–3)

scholarly journals Impacts of Ebola on Supply Chains in MRB Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 122-139
Author(s):  
Peter Davis Sumo
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Governmental Agencies ◽  
Gdp Growth Rate ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this paper is to present a science-based narrative of the impact of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) on the supply chains of the major commodities of Liberia. Scientific literatures from appropriate journals, newspapers, trade data of applicable ministries and governmental agencies, data on Ebola from websites of World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Center for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC), World Bank, the International Monetary Funds (IMF) and other relevant institutions are used extensively while also employing a market chain approach to represent the overall supply chains of these products. The review reveals, among others, the significant disruption to the flow of goods and the decrease in output of the main export commodities of Liberia. It also shows a fall in the real GDP growth rate of the Mano River Basin (MRB) countries during the Ebola years. The paper identifies that the specific mechanisms through which the supply chains were disrupted were as a result of fear and government’s regulation. Additionally, it provides a practical conduit for the diversification of the rubber industry. Given the complex web of supply chains of just a single product, this effort is in no way an exhaustive review on the impact of the EVD on supply chains of commodities dealt with herein, let alone the overall impact of EVD on the country as a whole. Obviously, this review is also limited in terms of scope and extent. This review is a useful introduction to investigators who might want to commit to research in this particular aspect of the impact of the EVD vis-a-vis its impact on supply chains in Liberia or on a broader level, the MRB Countries.

Reconsidering the Ethical Permissibility of the Use of Unregistered Interventions against Ebola Virus Disease

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSHUA T. LANDRY ◽  
THOMAS FOREMAN ◽  
MICHAEL KEKEWICH
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Ethical Imperative ◽  
The World ◽  
Considerable Debate ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Do So

Abstract:Ethical considerations for the use of unregistered interventions for Ebola virus disease have sparked considerable debate among academic and clinical ethicists. In August 2014 the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a panel of experts to discuss approaches to the outbreak in West Africa, with the goal of determining "whether it is ethical to use unregistered interventions with unknown adverse effects for possible treatment or prophylaxis”.1 The panel concluded that there would be an ethical imperative to provide such unregistered interventions if specific criteria could be met. This paper evaluates the WHO conclusion and argues that although it may be reasonable to provide unregistered interventions considering the circumstance, there is no clear ethical imperative to do so.

The Angolan Pandemic Rapid Response Team: An Assessment, Improvement, and Development Analysis of the First Self-sufficient African National Response Team Curriculum

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (03) ◽  
pp. 577-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Owens ◽  
Jason Rice
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
National Level ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Rapid Response Team ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
World Health ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Health Organization

ABSTRACTObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess, through participant self-assessment, the effectiveness of a rapid response team curriculum based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Ebola Virus Disease Consolidated Preparedness Checklist, Revision 1.MethodsA pre-and-post survey for the purpose of process improvement assessment involving 44 individuals was conducted in Angola. The survey was conducted before and after a 6-day training workshop held in Luanda, Angola, in December 2017. A paired t-test was used to identify any significant change on six 7-point Likert scale questions with α <.05 (95% CI).ResultsTwo of the 6 questions, “I feel confident the team can effectively work together to accomplish its assigned goals and objectives during a suspected contagious hemorrhagic fever disease outbreak” and “I understand basic pandemic response concepts” changed significantly from the presurvey to the postsurvey. The 4 remaining questions had near statistical significant change or an upward trend.ConclusionThis Angolan rapid response team training curriculum based on WHO guidelines, After Action Reports, and internationally accepted standard operating procedures provides the nation of Angola with the confidence to rapidly respond at the national level to a highly infectious contagion in the region. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:577-581)

scholarly journals Early transmission dynamics of Ebola virus disease (EVD), West Africa, March to August 2014

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (36) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Nishiura ◽  
G Chowell
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Primary Case ◽  
Specific Data ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Country Specific

The effective reproduction number, Rt, of Ebola virus disease was estimated using country-specific data reported from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to the World Health Organization from March to August, 2014. Rt for the three countries lies consistently above 1.0 since June 2014. Country-specific Rt for Liberia and Sierra Leone have lied between 1.0 and 2.0. Rt<2 indicate that control could be attained by preventing over half of the secondary transmissions per primary case.

scholarly journals The 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. 1619-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Gatherer
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Health Organization

On 23 March 2014, the World Health Organization issued its first communiqué on a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD), which began in December 2013 in Guinée Forestière (Forested Guinea), the eastern sector of the Republic of Guinea. Located on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, Guinea is the first country in this geographical region in which an outbreak of EVD has occurred, leaving aside the single case reported in Ivory Coast in 1994. Cases have now also been confirmed across Guinea as well as in the neighbouring Republic of Liberia. The appearance of cases in the Guinean capital, Conakry, and the transit of another case through the Liberian capital, Monrovia, presents the first large urban setting for EVD transmission. By 20 April 2014, 242 suspected cases had resulted in a total of 147 deaths in Guinea and Liberia. The causative agent has now been identified as an outlier strain of Zaire Ebola virus. The full geographical extent and degree of severity of the outbreak, its zoonotic origins and its possible spread to other continents are sure to be subjects of intensive discussion over the next months.

scholarly journals Clinical and epidemiological features of the disease caused by the Ebola virus, at the present stage: pathogenetic basis of therapy

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-39
Author(s):  
O. I Kiselev ◽  
L. M Tsybalova ◽  
E. G Deeva ◽  
V. V Tsvetkov ◽  
G. S Golobokov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Multiple Organ ◽  
World Health ◽  
Pathogenetic Therapy ◽  
Sporadic Cases ◽  
Health Organization

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever is severe acute infectious diseases accompanied by the development of severe systemic inflammatory response followed by the addition of disseminated intravascular coagulation and multiple organ failure. Since 1976 in Africa regularly observed disease outbreaks among humans caused by different types of Ebola virus. Modern epidemic in West Africa began in Guinea in February 2014 and is still going on, coming out of the country and distributed in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 14, 2014 recorded 18,603 cases of them confirmed EVD 11807, fatal 6915. From July 2014 to currently registered sporadic cases EVD among health care workers caring for patients, as well as among tourists returning from countries affected by the epidemic is already outside of West Africa. Due to the limited use of specific antiviral therapy with special attention to the management ofpatients with EVD should be paid to the intensive and timely pathogenetic therapy. Today, the only way to reduce morbidity and mortality among people from EVD is awareness on the risk factors of infection and the use ofpersonal protective measures.

Ebola virus disease: are you up to date?

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 572-577
Author(s):  
Daniel Beese ◽  
Gail Beckett
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Major Outbreak ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control

While the risk of seeing cases of Ebola in general practice in the UK remains low, Daniel Beese and Gail Beckett explain the importance of keeping up to date with what to do in light of the recent disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo In July 2019, an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. During the last major outbreak, only a few patients with Ebola were cared for by the NHS, but media interest was high and public anxiety widespread. The fear of infection saw much time and effort put into developing a plethora of guidance, policies and protocols to prevent and control any potential risk of spread. As it is now 4 years since the last outbreak, it is an opportune time to review response arrangements.

scholarly journals A Quantitative Framework to Define the End of an Outbreak: Application to Ebola Virus Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bimandra A Djaafara ◽  
Natsuko Imai ◽  
Esther Hamblion ◽  
Benido Impouma ◽  
Christl A Donnelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Symptom Onset ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Reporting Rate ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract The end-of-outbreak declaration is an important step in controlling infectious disease outbreaks. An objective estimation of the confidence level that an outbreak is over is important to reduce the risk of post-declaration flare-ups. We developed a simulation-based model to quantify that confidence. We tested it on simulated Ebola Virus Disease data. We found these confidence estimates were most sensitive to the instantaneous reproduction number, the reporting rate, and the time between the symptom onset to death or recovery of the last detected case. For Ebola Virus Disease, our results suggest that the current World Health Organization criterion of 42 days since the recovery or death of the last detected case is too short and sensitive to underreporting. Therefore, we suggest a shift to a preliminary end-of-outbreak declaration after 63 days from the symptom onset day of the last detected case. This preliminary declaration should still be followed by 90 days of enhanced surveillance to capture potential flare-ups of cases, after which the official end-of-outbreak can be declared. This sequence corresponds to more than 95% confidence that an outbreak is over in most of the scenarios examined. Our framework is generic, and therefore could be adapted to estimate end-of-outbreak confidence for other infectious diseases.

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