Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control

Ebola hemorrhagic fever, caused by the highly virulent RNA virus of the filoviridae family, has become one of the world's most feared pathogens. The virus induces acute fever and death, often associated with hemorrhagic symptoms in up to 90% of infected patients. The known sub-types of the viru...

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Main Authors: Gerald Amandu Matua, Dirk Mostert Van der Wal, Rozzano C. Locsin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2015-05-01
Series:Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1413867015000756
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spelling doaj-220ee7e89cd149d0ab982e1fa552cfd72020-11-25T02:58:33ZengElsevierBrazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases1413-86702015-05-01193308313S1413-86702015000300308Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and controlGerald Amandu Matua0Dirk Mostert Van der Wal1Rozzano C. Locsin2College of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman; Corresponding author.Department of Health Studies, University of South Africa, South AfricaChristine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, FL, USAEbola hemorrhagic fever, caused by the highly virulent RNA virus of the filoviridae family, has become one of the world's most feared pathogens. The virus induces acute fever and death, often associated with hemorrhagic symptoms in up to 90% of infected patients. The known sub-types of the virus are Zaire, Sudan, Taï Forest, Bundibugyo and Reston Ebola viruses. In the past, outbreaks were limited to the East and Central African tropical belt with the exception of Ebola Reston outbreaks that occurred in animal facilities in the Philippines, USA and Italy. The on-going outbreak in West Africa that is causing numerous deaths and severe socio-economic challenges has resulted in widespread anxiety globally. This panic may be attributed to the intense media interest, the rapid spread of the virus to other countries like United States and Spain, and moreover, to the absence of an approved treatment or vaccine.Informed by this widespread fear and anxiety, we analyzed the commonly used strategies to manage and control Ebola outbreaks and proposed new approaches that could improve epidemic management and control during future outbreaks. We based our recommendations on epidemic management practices employed during recent outbreaks in East, Central and West Africa, and synthesis of peer-reviewed publications as well as published “field” information from individuals and organizations recently involved in the management of Ebola epidemics.The current epidemic management approaches are largely “reactive”, with containment efforts aimed at halting spread of existing outbreaks. We recommend that for better outcomes, in addition to “reactive” interventions, “pre-emptive” strategies also need to be instituted. We conclude that emphasizing both “reactive” and “pre-emptive” strategies is more likely to lead to better epidemic preparedness and response at individual, community, institutional, and government levels, resulting in timely containment of future Ebola outbreaks. Keywords: Ebola virus, Filoviridae infections, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Ebola epidemicshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1413867015000756
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Gerald Amandu Matua
Dirk Mostert Van der Wal
Rozzano C. Locsin
spellingShingle Gerald Amandu Matua
Dirk Mostert Van der Wal
Rozzano C. Locsin
Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control
Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases
author_facet Gerald Amandu Matua
Dirk Mostert Van der Wal
Rozzano C. Locsin
author_sort Gerald Amandu Matua
title Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control
title_short Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control
title_full Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control
title_fullStr Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control
title_full_unstemmed Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control
title_sort ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: strategies for effective epidemic management, containment and control
publisher Elsevier
series Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases
issn 1413-8670
publishDate 2015-05-01
description Ebola hemorrhagic fever, caused by the highly virulent RNA virus of the filoviridae family, has become one of the world's most feared pathogens. The virus induces acute fever and death, often associated with hemorrhagic symptoms in up to 90% of infected patients. The known sub-types of the virus are Zaire, Sudan, Taï Forest, Bundibugyo and Reston Ebola viruses. In the past, outbreaks were limited to the East and Central African tropical belt with the exception of Ebola Reston outbreaks that occurred in animal facilities in the Philippines, USA and Italy. The on-going outbreak in West Africa that is causing numerous deaths and severe socio-economic challenges has resulted in widespread anxiety globally. This panic may be attributed to the intense media interest, the rapid spread of the virus to other countries like United States and Spain, and moreover, to the absence of an approved treatment or vaccine.Informed by this widespread fear and anxiety, we analyzed the commonly used strategies to manage and control Ebola outbreaks and proposed new approaches that could improve epidemic management and control during future outbreaks. We based our recommendations on epidemic management practices employed during recent outbreaks in East, Central and West Africa, and synthesis of peer-reviewed publications as well as published “field” information from individuals and organizations recently involved in the management of Ebola epidemics.The current epidemic management approaches are largely “reactive”, with containment efforts aimed at halting spread of existing outbreaks. We recommend that for better outcomes, in addition to “reactive” interventions, “pre-emptive” strategies also need to be instituted. We conclude that emphasizing both “reactive” and “pre-emptive” strategies is more likely to lead to better epidemic preparedness and response at individual, community, institutional, and government levels, resulting in timely containment of future Ebola outbreaks. Keywords: Ebola virus, Filoviridae infections, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Ebola epidemics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1413867015000756
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