How emergency departments prepare for virus disease outbreaks like COVID-19

Whilst non-communicable diseases provided the impetus for the development of children’s palliative care (CPC) in the developed world, it was a single communicable illness human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) that was the catalyst for the development of many CPC programmes in the developing world. Whilst considerable gains have been made in preventing and controlling paediatric AIDS globally, there is still benefit to an integrated palliative care approach to the care of these children and especially for those living in countries without access to anti-retrovirals. Furthermore, there are many other communicable diseases associated with significant health-related suffering in children that could benefit from palliative care. This chapter proposes grouping these diseases using the well-known Association for Children with Terminal Conditions (ACT) categorization and discusses examples of important communicable diseases in each category. The need for improved CPC as part of the humanitarian response to acute communicable disease outbreaks such as Ebola virus disease is also explored.

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Uganda Tourism Sector COVID-19 Response, Recovery and Sustainability Strategies: Lessons from Previous Virus Disease Outbreaks

Tourism Destination Management in a Post-Pandemic Context ◽

10.1108/978-1-80071-511-020211007 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 99-112

Author(s):

Mugizi Francis ◽

Ayorekire Jim ◽

Obua Joseph

Keyword(s):

Virus Disease ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Response Recovery ◽

Sustainability Strategies ◽

Tourism Sector

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The Epidemiological Presentation Pattern of Ebola Virus Disease Outbreaks: Changes from 1976 to 2019

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x20000333 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 247-253

Author(s):

Pedro Arcos González ◽

Ángel Fernández Camporro ◽

Anneli Eriksson ◽

Carmen Alonso Llada

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

World Health ◽

Study Objective ◽

Population At Risk ◽

Case Fatality Ratio

AbstractIntroduction:Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is the international health emergency paradigm due to its epidemiological presentation pattern, impact on public health, resources necessary for its control, and need for a national and international response.Study Objective:The objective of this work is to study the evolution and progression of the epidemiological presentation profile of Ebola disease outbreaks since its discovery in 1976 to the present, and to explore the possible reasons for this evolution from different perspectives.Methods:Retrospective observational study of 38 outbreaks of Ebola disease occurred from 1976 through 2019, excluding laboratory accidents. United Nations agencies and programs; Ministries of Health; the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); ReliefWeb; emergency nongovernmental organizations; and publications indexed in PubMed, EmBase, and Clinical Key have been used as sources of data. Information on the year of the outbreak, date of beginning and end, duration of the outbreak in days, number of cases, number of deaths, population at risk, geographic extension affected in Km2, and time of notification of the first cases to the World Health Organization (WHO) have been searched and analyzed.Results:Populations at risk have increased (P = .024) and the geographical extent of Ebola outbreaks has grown (P = .004). Reporting time of the first cases of Ebola to WHO has been reduced (P = .017) and case fatality (P = .028) has gone from 88% to 62% in the period studied. There have been differences (P = .04) between the outbreaks produced by the Sudan and Zaire strains of the virus, both in terms of duration and case fatality ratio (Sudan strain 74.5 days on average and 62.7% of case fatality ratio versus Zaire strain with 150 days on average and 55.4% case fatality ratio).Conclusion:There has been a change in the epidemiological profile of the Ebola outbreaks from 1976 through 2019 with an increase in the geographical extent of the outbreaks and the population at risk, as well as a significant decrease in the outbreaks case fatality rate. There have been advances in the detection and management capacity of outbreaks, and the notification time to the WHO has been reduced. However, there are social, economic, cultural, and political obstacles that continue to greatly hinder a more efficient epidemiological approach to Ebola disease, mainly in Central Africa.

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Handwashing and Ebola virus disease outbreaks: A randomized comparison of soap, hand sanitizer, and 0.05% chlorine solutions on the inactivation and removal of model organisms Phi6 and E. coli from hands and persistence in rinse water

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0172734 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. e0172734 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Marlene K. Wolfe ◽

Karin Gallandat ◽

Kyle Daniels ◽

Anne Marie Desmarais ◽

Pamela Scheinman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Model Organisms ◽

E Coli ◽

Hand Sanitizer ◽

Rinse Water

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COVID-19 Outbreak in Africa: Lessons and Insights from the West African Ebola Virus Disease Epidemics

International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health ◽

10.34172/ijtmgh.2020.17 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 96-99

Author(s):

Oluwafolajimi Adetoye Adesanya

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

African Continent ◽

Outbreak Response ◽

African Countries ◽

Response Strategies ◽

Past Experiences

Over the years, the African continent has had to battle several outbreaks of infectious diseases in different countries. Some of the most deadly were the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks that occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 affecting Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and, more recently, from 2018 to 2020 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that as a continent, we draw lessons and insights from our past experiences to guide outbreak response strategies being deployed to curb the latest onslaught. The Ebola outbreaks have shown that disease outbreaks should not be seen only as medical emergencies, but as full blown humanitarian crises, because oftentimes, their socio-economic impacts are more devastating than the more obvious cost to life. In this mini-review, we explore the possible humanitarian costs of the COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent by looking through the lens of our past experiences with the EVD outbreaks, highlighting how the current pandemic could significantly affect the African economy, food security, and vulnerable demographics, like children and the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls. We then proffer recommendations that could be instrumental in preventing a double tragedy involving the devastating health consequences of the virus itself and the deadly fallout from its multi-sectoral knock-on effects in African countries. Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Ebola Virus Disease, Coronavirus.

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Offering patients more: how the West Africa Ebola outbreak can shape innovation in therapeutic research for emerging and epidemic infections

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2016.0294 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 372 (1721) ◽

pp. 20160294 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Amanda M. Rojek ◽

Peter W. Horby

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Nipah Virus ◽

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

International Travel ◽

Marburg Virus ◽

World Health ◽

The West

Although, after an epidemic of over 28 000 cases, there are still no licensed treatments for Ebola virus disease (EVD), significant progress was made during the West Africa outbreak. The pace of pre-clinical development was exceptional and a number of therapeutic clinical trials were conducted in the face of considerable challenges. Given the on-going risk of emerging infectious disease outbreaks in an era of unprecedented population density, international travel and human impact on the environment it is pertinent to focus on improving the research and development landscape for treatments of emerging and epidemic-prone infections. This is especially the case since there are no licensed therapeutics for some of the diseases considered by the World Health Organization as most likely to cause severe outbreaks—including Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Marburg virus, Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever and Nipah virus. EVD, therefore, provides a timely exemplar to discuss the barriers, enablers and incentives needed to find effective treatments in advance of health emergencies caused by emerging infectious diseases. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control’.

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Ebola and Other Filoviruses

10.1093/med/9780190604813.003.0002 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa M. Bebell

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Inflammatory Responses ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Marburg Virus ◽

Residual Effects ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Pediatric Vaccination

Congenital and pediatric Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Marburg virus disease (MVD) are severe, even lethal infections. Historically, children have been underrepresented in filovirus disease outbreaks, and evidence-based treatment strategies are lacking. Existing data suggest that case fatalities are highest among children under four years of age, which is partially explained by higher virus concentrations in young children. Prevention and aggressive resuscitation, nutrition, and supportive care are the mainstays of management until filovirus-specific therapies can be developed. Differences in pediatric immune and inflammatory responses may necessitate unique approaches to pediatric vaccination and treatment. There are minimal safety or immunogenicity data in children, a crucial knowledge gap that must be addressed in future trials. Studying pediatric survivors of the 2014–2016 West Africa EVD outbreak will provide much-needed data on long-term outcomes and residual effects of filovirus disease while we await effective filovirus-specific vaccines and therapies.

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