Citation: Ebola virus disease in Africa: epidemiology and nosocomial transmission.
J Hosp Infect. 2015 Jan 20
Authors: Shears P, O'Dempsey TJ
Abstract
The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, primarily affecting
Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, has exceeded all previous Ebola outbreaks in
the number of cases and in international response. There have been 20
significant outbreaks of Ebola virus disease in Sub-Saharan Africa prior to the
2014 outbreak, the largest being that in Uganda in 2000, with 425 cases and a
mortality of 53%. Since the first outbreaks in Sudan and Zaire in 1976,
transmission within health facilities has been of major concern, affecting
healthcare workers and acting as amplifiers of spread into the community. The
lack of resources for infection control and personal protective equipment are
the main reasons for nosocomial transmission. Local strategies to improve
infection control, and a greater understanding of local community views on the
disease, have helped to bring outbreaks under control. Recommendations from
previous outbreaks include improved disease surveillance to enable more rapid
health responses, the wider availability of personal protective equipment, and
greater international preparedness.
PMID: 25655197 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Link to Pubmed Record
