scholarly journals Analyses of the performance of the Ebola virus disease alert management system in South Sudan: August 2018 to November 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. e0008872
Author(s):  
Olushayo Oluseun Olu ◽  
Richard Lako ◽  
Sudhir Bunga ◽  
Kibebu Berta ◽  
Matthew Kol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Rapid Response Teams ◽  
Cross Sectional

South Sudan implemented Ebola virus disease preparedness interventions aiming at preventing and rapidly containing any importation of the virus from the Democratic Republic of Congo starting from August 2018. One of these interventions was a surveillance system which included an Ebola alert management system. This study analyzed the performance of this system. A descriptive cross-sectional study of the Ebola virus disease alerts which were reported in South Sudan from August 2018 to November 2019 was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. As of 30 November 2019, a total of 107 alerts had been detected in the country out of which 51 (47.7%) met the case definition and were investigated with blood samples collected for laboratory confirmation. Most (81%) of the investigated alerts were South Sudanese nationals. The alerts were identified by health workers (53.1%) at health facilities, at the community (20.4%) and by screeners at the points of entry (12.2%). Most of the investigated alerts were detected from the high-risk states of Gbudwe (46.9%), Jubek (16.3%) and Torit (10.2%). The investigated alerts commonly presented with fever, bleeding, headache and vomiting. The median timeliness for deployment of Rapid Response Team was less than one day and significantly different between the 6-month time periods (K-W = 7.7567; df = 2; p = 0.0024) from 2018 to 2019. Strengths of the alert management system included existence of a dedicated national alert hotline, case definition for alerts and rapid response teams while the weaknesses were occasional inability to access the alert toll-free hotline and lack of transport for deployment of the rapid response teams which often constrain quick response. This study demonstrates that the Ebola virus disease alert management system in South Sudan was fully functional despite the associated challenges and provides evidence to further improve Ebola preparedness in the country.

scholarly journals Lessons learned from implementation of a national hotline for Ebola virus disease emergency preparedness in South Sudan

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Velma K. Lopez ◽  
Sharmila Shetty ◽  
Angelo Thon Kouch ◽  
Matthew Tut Khol ◽  
Richard Lako ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Humanitarian Emergency

Abstract Background The world’s second largest Ebola outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2018 to 2020. At the time, risk of cross-border spread into South Sudan was very high. Thus, the South Sudan Ministry of Health scaled up Ebola preparedness activities in August 2018, including implementation of a 24-h, toll-free Ebola virus disease (EVD) hotline. The primary purpose was the hotline was to receive EVD alerts and the secondary goal was to provide evidence-based EVD messages to the public. Methods To assess whether the hotline augmented Ebola preparedness activities in a protracted humanitarian emergency context, we reviewed 22 weeks of call logs from January to June 2019. Counts and percentages were calculated for all available data. Results The hotline received 2114 calls during the analysis period, and an additional 1835 missed calls were documented. Callers used the hotline throughout 24-h of the day and were most often men and individuals living in Jubek state, where the national capital is located. The leading reasons for calling were to learn more about EVD (68%) or to report clinical signs or symptoms (16%). Common EVD-related questions included EVD signs and symptoms, transmission, and prevention. Only one call was documented as an EVD alert, and there was no documentation of reported symptoms or whether the person met the EVD case definition. Conclusions Basic surveillance information was not collected from callers. To trigger effective outbreak investigation from hotline calls, the hotline should capture who is reporting and from where, symptoms and travel history, and whether this information should be further investigated. Electronic data capture will enhance data quality and availability of information for review. Additionally, the magnitude of missed calls presents a major challenge. When calls are answered, there is potential to provide health communication, so risk communication needs should be considered. However, prior to hotline implementation, governments should critically assess whether their hotline would yield actionable data and if other data sources for surveillance or community concerns are available.

scholarly journals Enhancing Ebola Virus Disease Surveillance And Prevention In Counties Without Confirmed Cases In Rural Liberia: Experiences From Sinoe County During The Flare-Up In Monrovia, April To June, 2016

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Darling Weah ◽  
John S. Doedeh ◽  
Samson Q. Wiah ◽  
Emmanuel Nyema ◽  
Siafa Lombeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Engagement ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIntroductionDuring the flare-ups of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Liberia, Sinoe County reactivated the multi-sectorial EVD control strategy in order to be ready to respond to the eventual reintroduction of cases.This paper describes the impacts of the interventions implemented in Sinoe County during the last flare-up in Monrovia, from April 1 to June 9, 2016, using the resources provided during the original outbreak that ended one year back.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive study to describe the key interventions implemented in Sinoe County, the capacity available, the implications for the reactivation of the multi-sectoral EVD control strategy, and the results of the same. We also conducted a cross-sectional study to analyze the impact of the interventions on the surveillance and on infection prevention and control (IPC).ResultsThe attrition of the staff trained during the original outbreak was low, and most of the supplies, equipment, and infrastructure from the original outbreak remained available.With an additional US$1755, improvements were observed in the IPC indicators of triage, which increased from a mean of 60% during the first assessment to 77% (P=0.002). Additionally, personal/staff training improved from 78% to 89% (P=0.04).The percentage of EVD death alerts per expected deaths investigated increased from 26% to 63% (P<0.0001).DiscussionThe small attrition of the trained staff and the availability of most of the supplies, equipment, and infrastructure made the reactivation of the multi-sectoral EVD control strategy fast and affordable. The improvement of the EVD surveillance was possibly affected by the community engagement activities, awareness and mentoring of the health workers, and improved availability of clinicians in the facilities during the flare-up. The community engagement may contribute to the report of community-based events, specifically community deaths. The mentoring of the staff during the supportive supervisions also contributed to improve the IPC indicators.

scholarly journals Health Workers' Knowledge and Attitude about Ebola Virus Disease

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Rezaeipandari ◽  
Vali Bahrevar ◽  
Alireza Babaei Mazreno ◽  
Zohreh Rahaei ◽  
Saeedeh Zare Jamalabadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Knowledge And Attitude ◽  
Yazd City

Introduction: Ebola is a viral infection with a high mortality risk and health workers are considered as an at-risk group. The main aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitude of health workers about Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Yazd city, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 110 health workers in health centres of Yazd city, Iran in 2015, who were selected by cluster random sampling method. The tool for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire including demographic information as well as knowledge and attitude questions about EVD with confirmed validity and reliability. Data were analysed by statistical tests of Student’s T-test, Chi-square, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The mean score of the participants' knowledge and attitude were 25.16± 3.58 (range 0-46) and 46.59±4.05 (range 13-65), respectively. More than half of the health workers did not know transmission routes of EVD. However, 59.6% of them were aware that the one way to prevent the disease was to avoid contact with an infected person. A significant correlation was also found between knowledge and attitude scores (P< 0.001, r= 0.384). Conclusion: Since knowledge of the health workers was at the moderate level, training courses and interventional programs are recommended for health care workers especially about transmission routes and signs of EVD to increase the Knowledge and attitude of the participants

scholarly journals Priorities, Barriers, and Facilitators towards International Guidelines for the Delivery of Supportive Clinical Care during an Ebola Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Claude Battista ◽  
Christine Loignon ◽  
Lynda Benhadj ◽  
Elysee Nouvet ◽  
Srinivas Murthy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supportive Care ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Treatment Protocols ◽  
Key Stakeholders

During the Ebola outbreak, mortality reduction was attributed to multiple improvements in supportive care delivered in Ebola treatment units (ETUs). We aimed to identify high-priority supportive care measures, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to their implementation, for patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of key stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 West African EVD outbreak. Out of 57 email invitations, 44 responses were received, and 29 respondents completed the survey. The respondents listed insufficient numbers of health workers (23/29, 79%), improper tools for the documentation of clinical data (n = 22/28, 79%), insufficient material resources (n = 22/29, 76%), and unadapted personal protective equipment (n = 20/28, 71%) as the main barriers to the provision of supportive care in ETUs. Facilitators to the provision of supportive care included team camaraderie (n in agreement = 25/28, 89%), ability to speak the local language (22/28, 79%), and having treatment protocols in place (22/28, 79%). This survey highlights a consensus across various stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 EVD outbreak on a limited number of high-priority supportive care interventions for clinical practice guidelines. Identified barriers and facilitators further inform the application of guidelines.

scholarly journals Early clinical sequelae of Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G Mattia ◽  
Mathew J Vandy ◽  
Joyce C Chang ◽  
Devin E Platt ◽  
Kerry Dierberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional
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