This paper describes patient characteristics, including Ebola viral load, associated with mortality in a Médecins Sans Frontières Ebola case management centre (CMC).Out of 780 admissions between June and October 2014, 525 (67%) were positive for Ebola with a known outcome. The crude mortality rate was 51% (270/525). Ebola viral load (whole-blood sample) data were available on 76% (397/525) of patients. Univariate analysis indicated viral load at admission, age, symptom duration prior to admission, and distance traveled to the CMC were associated with mortality (P < .05). The multivariable model predicted mortality in those with a viral load at admission greater than 10 million copies per milliliter (P < .05, odds ratio >10), aged ≥50 years (P = .08, odds ratio = 2) and symptom duration prior to admission less than 5 days (P = .14). The presence of confusion, diarrhea, and conjunctivitis were significantly higher (P < .05) in Ebola patients who died.These findings highlight the importance viral load at admission has on mortality outcomes and could be used to cohort cases with viral loads greater than 10 million copies into dedicated wards with more intensive medical support to further reduce mortality.

Introduction: The current Ebola outbreak represents the largest in history. Understanding psychological reactions among EVD survivors may provide relevant information about post-treatment adjustment and possible psychological preventative measures. We therefore studied the psychological reactions in Ebola Virus Disease survivors following their discharge from an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone. Methods: Immediately following discharge, survivors met with the psychologist to discuss their experiences in the case management centre and the challenges they may face returning to their communities. Of 74 survivors discharged in the study period, 24 were followed up at home for a psychological consultation three to four weeks after discharge. During the home visit the psychologist applied an adaptation of the trauma screening questionnaire and explored number of family deaths from Ebola Virus Disease, stigma, the meaning they attached to the causation of their illness and general post illness adjustment. Results: All survivors had lost immediate family members to Ebola Virus Disease. Most (16; 67%) had also witnessed their deaths. Eight (32%) survivors had experienced stigma when returning to their communities. Seventeen (71%) survivors experienced arousal and re-experiencing reactions during the first two days post discharge. Five (21%) reported clinically important post traumatic reactions between three and four weeks post discharge predicting a risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. Conclusion: Although this study represents a snapshot of post-traumatic stress reactions observed in Ebola survivors, it does demonstrate the need to consider the likelihood of psychological sequelae in EVD survivors. Long term follow-up of is needed to understand psychological care needs of Ebola survivors.

Case management centres (CMCs) are part of the outbreak control plan for Ebola virus disease (EVD). A CMC in Sierra Leone had 33% (138/419) of primary admissions discharged as EVD negative (not a case). Fifteen of these were readmitted within 21 days, nine of which were EVD positive. All readmissions had contact with an Ebola case in the community in the previous 21 days indicating that the infection was likely acquired outside the CMC.

In 2011, there was a large measles outbreak in Dublin. Nationally 285 cases were notified to the end of December 2011, and 250 (88%) were located in the Dublin region. After the first case was notified in week 6, numbers gradually increased, with 25 notified in June and a peak of 53 cases in August. Following public health intervention including a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination campaign, no cases were reported in the Dublin region in December 2011. Most cases (82%) were children aged between 6 months and 14 years, and 46 cases (18%) were under 12 months-old. This is the first outbreak in Dublin to utilise a geographic information system for plotting measles cases on a digital map in real time. This approach, in combination with the analysis of case notifications, assisted the department of public health in demonstrating the extent of the outbreak. The digital mapping documented the evolution of two distinct clusters of 87 (35%) cases. These measles cases were infected with genotype D4-Manchester recently associated with large outbreaks across Europe. The two clusters occurred in socio-economically disadvantaged areas and were attributable to inadequate measles vaccination coverage due in part to the interruption of a school-based MMR2 vaccination programme.

Prevention of nosocomial Ebola virus (EBOV) infection among patients admitted to an Ebola management centre (EMC) is paramount. Current Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) guidelines recommend classifying admitted patients at triage into suspect and highly-suspect categories pending laboratory confirmation. We investigated the performance of the MSF triage system to separate patients with subsequent EBOV-positive laboratory test (true-positive admissions) from patients who were initially admitted on clinical grounds but subsequently tested EBOV-negative (false-positive admissions). We calculated standard diagnostic test statistics for triage allocation into suspect or highly-suspect wards (index test) and subsequent positive or negative laboratory results (reference test) among 433 patients admitted into the MSF EMC Kailahun, Sierra Leone, between 1 July and 30 September 2014. 254 (59%) of admissions were classified as highly-suspect, the remaining 179 (41%) as suspect. 276 (64%) were true-positive admissions, leaving 157 (36.3%) false-positive admissions exposed to the risk of nosocomial EBOV infection. The positive predictive value for receiving a positive laboratory result after being allocated to the highly-suspect ward was 76%. The corresponding negative predictive value was 54%. Sensitivity and specificity were 70% and 61%, respectively. Results for accurate patient classification were unconvincing. The current triage system should be changed. Whenever possible, patients should be accommodated in single compartments pending laboratory confirmation. Furthermore, the initial triage step on whether or not to admit a patient in the first place must be improved. What is ultimately needed is a point-of-care EBOV diagnostic test that is reliable, accurate, robust, mobile, affordable, easy to use outside strict biosafety protocols, providing results with quick turnaround time.

Case management centres (CMCs) are part of the outbreak control plan for Ebola virus disease (EVD). A CMC in Sierra Leone had 33% (138/419) of primary admissions discharged as EVD negative (not a case). Fifteen of these were readmitted within 21 days, nine of which were EVD positive. All readmissions had contact with an Ebola case in the community in the previous 21 days indicating that the infection was likely acquired outside the CMC.

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The West African Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak was the largest in history. The vast majority of cases were reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Altogether, 28 646 people were infected and 11 323 died. 1 One of the explanations for the extent of the outbreak was the lack of response of local health systems. These health systems were incapable of responding adequately to the outbreak due to a lack of human resources, information, research, supply of medical products, financing and governance. 2 The devastating effect of the Ebola outbreak stretched far beyond the number of Ebola cases, and resulted in the deterioration of the provision and utilisation of routine health care. On the one hand the EVD outbreak compromised the functioning of the health system, due to the deaths of many health care workers and the closure of health facilities, 3,4 while at the same time communities had little trust in the capacity of providers to secure safe health care. In Ebola-affected communities many individuals feared to seek care, even for curable conditions. 4,5 The manner in which the provision and utilisation of programmes were affected by the outbreak was difficult to monitor during the outbreak response, given the state of emergency. All the attention of national and international health care providers was focused on limiting further spread of EVD, and reducing mortality in infected patients. We therefore studied in retrospect the effect of the Ebola outbreak on health system performance. Two Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT IT) courses were organised, one in Liberia and one in Sierra Leone. The participants, the first authors of the manuscripts included in this supplement, were involved in the local health programmes during the Ebola outbreak. Course participation was defined as successful if the participant submitted a scientific manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal by the end of the course. 6 Sixteen studies were conducted, and are assembled here for this special issue. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Through the study of routine data the performance of a wide range of programmes was assessed before, during and after the outbreak. These studies present data from mother and child health care services, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, vaccination, malaria, malnutrition and non-communicable diseases programmes. In addition, infection prevention monitoring, community health worker programme and performance-based financing are included.The different studies illustrate how service delivery and utilisation of most programmes dropped significantly during the Ebola outbreak. The greater the area affected, the sharper the decline, and the longer it took for performance to recover to pre-Ebola levels. The level of programme performance pre-Ebola also affected recovery post-Ebola. For example, in Liberia the already struggling immunisation programme was further weakened during the outbreak and took significant time to recover post-Ebola. 19 Ne...