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

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (05) ◽  
pp. 537-543 ◽  
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.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-390
Author(s):  
Colleen S. Kraft ◽  
Aneesh K. Mehta ◽  
Jay B. Varkey ◽  
G. Marshall Lyon ◽  
Sharon Vanairsdale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Adenovirus Type ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Lassa Virus ◽  
Serum Samples

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.

scholarly journals Ebola Virus: a Clear and Present Danger

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-8 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Infectious Disease Physician Assessment of Hospital Preparedness for Ebola Virus Disease

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Vaccines and Antibodies: Weapons in the Fight Against Ebola Virus

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Debré ◽  
Marie Neunez ◽  
Michel Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
Stimulation Of

Ebola virus disease is one of the deadliest infections in the world today. The microbe to blame is the Ebola virus. It has already caused numerous outbreaks in Africa, in the regions located south of the Sahara. This article describes the main characteristics of this infectious disease as well as the currently available treatments, namely vaccines and antibodies. Antibodies are produced by the human body when it is infected by a microbe. Antibodies can be collected from the blood of infected humans or animals and purified or manufactured in a laboratory to produce drugs. While vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness in preventing infectious diseases, antibodies are effective in stopping the progression of several infectious diseases. In this article, you will discover that the stimulation of the immune system, either by the vaccine or by antibodies, is essential to tackle Ebola virus disease.

scholarly journals Pre-Ebola virus disease laboratory system and related challenges in Liberia

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Kennedy ◽  
John B. Dogba ◽  
Christine L. Wasunna ◽  
Philip Sahr ◽  
Candace B. Eastman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Reference Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory System ◽  
Human Resource Capacity

Prior to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia, the laboratory system was duplicativefragmented and minimally coordinated. The National Reference Laboratory was conceptualisedto address the existing challenges by promoting the implementation of effective and sustainablelaboratory services in Liberia. However, in a resource-limited environment such as Liberiaprogress regarding the rebuilding of the health system can be relatively slow, while efforts tosustain the transient gains remain a key challenge for the Ministry of Health. In this paper, wedescribe the pre-Ebola virus disease laboratory system in Liberia and its prevailing efforts toaddress future emerging infectious diseases, as well as current Infectious diseases, all of whichare exacerbated by poverty. We conclude that laboratory and diagnostic services in Liberiahave encountered numerous challenges regarding its efforts to strengthen the healthcaredelivery system. These challenges include limited trained human resource capacity, inadequateinfrastructure, and a lack of coordination. As with most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, whencomparing urban and rural settings, diagnostic and clinical services are generally skewedtoward urban health facilities and private, faith-based health facilities. We recommend thatstructured policy be directed at these challenges for national institutions to develop guidelinesto improve, strengthen and sustain diagnostic and curative laboratory services to effectivelyaddress current infectious diseases and prepare for future emerging and re-emerging infectiousdiseases.

scholarly journals The Use of TKM-100802 and Convalescent Plasma in 2 Patients With Ebola Virus Disease in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 496-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen S. Kraft ◽  
Angela L. Hewlett ◽  
Scott Koepsell ◽  
Anne M. Winkler ◽  
Christopher J. Kratochvil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease

scholarly journals Influence of Referral Pathway on Ebola Virus Disease Case-Fatality Rate and Effect of Survival Selection Bias

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frauke Rudolf ◽  
Mads Damkjær ◽  
Suzanne Lunding ◽  
Kenn Dornonville de la Cour ◽  
Alyssa Young ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selection Bias ◽  
Case Fatality Rate ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Fatality Rate ◽  
Survival Selection ◽  
Disease Case
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