scholarly journals A Current Review of Ebola Virus: Pathogenesis, Clinical Presentation, and Diagnostic Assessment

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian M. Casillas ◽  
Adeline M. Nyamathi ◽  
Anthony Sosa ◽  
Cam L. Wilder ◽  
Heather Sands
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Virus Identification ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Supportive Management

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is an acute viral syndrome that presents with fever and an ensuing bleeding diathesis that is marked by high mortality in human and nonhuman primates. Fatality rates are between 50% and 100%. Due to its lethal nature, this filovirus is classified as a biological class 4 pathogen. The natural reservoir of the virus is unknown. As a result, little is understood about how Ebola virus is transmitted or how it replicates in its host. Although the primary source of infection is unknown, the epidemiologic mode of transmission is well defined. A variety of tests have proven to be specific and useful for Ebola virus identification. There is no FDA-approved antiviral treatment for EHF. Incubation ranges from 2 to 21 days. Patients who are able to mount an immune response to the virus will begin to recover in 7 to 10 days and start a period of prolonged convalescence. Supportive management of infected patients is the primary method of treatment, with particular attention to maintenance of hydration, circulatory volume, blood pressure, and the provision of supplemental oxygen. Since there is no specific treatment outside of supportive management and palliative care, containment of this potentially lethal virus is paramount. In almost all outbreaks of EHF, the fatality rate among health care workers with documented infections was higher than that of non–health care workers.

Understanding the Predictors that Contribute to Liberian Health Care Workers Feeling Protected From Ebola While at Work

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kayla Enriquez ◽  
Kanagasabai Udhayashankar ◽  
Michelle Niescierenko
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Returning To Work ◽  
Care Worker ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess Liberian health care workers’ feelings around safety in returning to work in the setting of the Ebola virus disease outbreak of 2014–2015 after receiving infection prevention and control (IPC) training. Methods: Academic Consortium Combating Ebola in Liberia (ACCEL) training surveys were done at 21 public, Liberian hospitals to understand health care workers’ attitudes surrounding Ebola and whether they felt safe while at work based on multiple factors. Logistic regression was used for analysis. Results: We found that health care workers feeling safe at work during the Ebola outbreak was primarily predicted by the number of IPC/Ebola trainings received pre-ACCEL interventions. Health care workers felt increasingly safer and motivated to return to work as trainings approached 3 (OR 8, p-value < 0.001); however, more than 3 trainings resulted in decreased safety and motivation. In addition, health care workers who reported washing their hands before and after patient contact were 3.4 times more likely to understand how to protect themselves from Ebola. Conclusions: These results help to better understand the utility of repeated trainings on health care worker practice attitudes and the importance of IPC policies within hospitals, such as hand hygiene promotion and education, when coordinating humanitarian efforts.

scholarly journals Effect of vaccinating health care workers to control Ebola virus disease: a modelling analysis of outbreak data

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Robert ◽  
Anton Camacho ◽  
W. John Edmunds ◽  
Marc Baguelin ◽  
Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Vaccination Strategies ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Outbreak Size

AbstractBackgroundHealth care workers (HCW) are at risk of infection during Ebola virus disease outbreaks and therefore may be targeted for vaccination before or during outbreaks. The effect of these strategies depends on the role of HCW in transmission which is understudied.MethodsTo evaluate the effect of HCW-targeted or community vaccination strategies, we used a transmission model to explore the relative contribution of HCW and the community to transmission. We calibrated the model to data from multiple Ebola outbreaks. We quantified the impact of ahead-of-time HCW-targeted strategies, and reactive HCW and community vaccination.ResultsWe found that for some outbreaks (we call “type 1”) HCW amplified transmission both to other HCW and the community, and in these outbreaks prophylactic vaccination of HCW decreased outbreak size. Reactive vaccination strategies had little effect because type 1 outbreaks ended quickly. However, in outbreaks with longer time courses (“type 2 outbreaks”), reactive community vaccination decreased the number of cases, with or without prophylactic HCW-targeted vaccination. For both outbreak types, we found that ahead-of-time HCW-targeted strategies had an impact at coverage of 30%.ConclusionsThe optimal vaccine strategy depends on the dynamics of the outbreak and the impact of other interventions on transmission. Although we will not know the characteristics of a new outbreak, ahead-of-time HCW-targeted vaccination can decrease the total outbreak size, even at low vaccine coverage.summaryTargeting health care workers for Ebola virus disease vaccination can decrease the size of outbreaks, and the number of health care workers infected. The impact of these strategies decrease depends on timing, coverage, and the dynamics of the outbreak.

Ebola at the National Institutes of Health

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-267
Author(s):  
Susan S. Johnson ◽  
Neil Barranta ◽  
Dan Chertow
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Institutes Of Health ◽  
Care Nurse ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Staffing Patterns

Infectious disease events were in the headlines in 2014. West Africa experienced the worst Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak ever recorded. The world was stunned when the deadly virus began to spread to other countries. The health care system in the United States responded by designating specialized centers to care for patients with EVD. All health care workers must understand the isolation processes involved in caring for these patients. Using personal protective equipment is imperative and requires adjustments in how care is provided. Staffing patterns must be altered to provide safe care, while maintaining safety of health care workers. This article provides perspectives of the critical care nurse manager and bedside nurse who participated in the development of the care processes for patients with EVD at the National Institutes of Health to help health care colleagues better understand issues experienced and to help prepare them if they encounter patients with EVD.

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