Ebola virus epidemic in war-torn eastern DR Congo

Claude, Kasereka Masumbuko; Underschultz, Jack; Hawkes, Michael

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(18)32419-x

Cited by 56 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…To our knowledge, there is no study yet done in Africa and Uganda in particular, to evaluate the level of awareness, the knowledge and attitudes of the population about the transmission and preventive measures put in place to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak. However, previous studies on viral disease outbreaks, like SARS in 2003 [10] and Ebola in 2018 (12), have shown that the management and control of an outbreak requires a good understanding of the populations about the disease to avoid its spread in the community [6]. It is therefore necessary that a survey is undertaken to establish the level of awareness, the knowledge and attitudes of the population with regard to the COVID -19 pandemic and the measures put in place to mitigate it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice towards measures for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the Ugandans: A nationwide online cross-sectional Survey

Ssebuufu

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundThe world is facing the Coronavirus pandemic which is highly infectious. A number of measures have been put in place to prevent its spread among the population. However, for these preventive measures to be effective, the population requires an appropriate and sufficient knowledge. Thus, a survey was conducted with the aim of assessing the awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices towards measures for prevention of the spread of Covid-19 amongst Ugandans. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted during the lockdown in Uganda. An online questionnaire and a snowballing approach was used for participant recruitment of 18 years above literate Ugandans. Data collection was done from 6 th to 15 th April 2020 during which 1763 people participated. We analyzed all data using STATA 14.2, applying appropriate statistical tests. ResultsOut of 1763 participants, 97.6% were aware of the current pandemic. 83.9% of participants had a good knowledge score (21.8/27), 72.4% had a good attitude and 85.3% were practicing measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease. The ordered logistic regression showed that being a Health worker was significantly associated with a high knowledge (aOR:6 (3.32-10.93); a good attitude (aOR:2.5(1.68-3.8)]) and good practice (aOR:2.9 (1.95-4.2). On contrary, being a driver, business entrepreneur and a security personnel were found to have less rate in awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice. ConclusionsUgandans had a good overall awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice. However, there is still a gap of knowledge, attitude and practice among drivers, business entrepreneur and security personnel. There is a need to mobilize the population in the country to have the same degree of awareness and knowledge which will have an impact on attitude and practice to prevent spread of COVID-19.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice towards measures for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the Ugandans: A nationwide online cross-sectional Survey

Ssebuufu

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…During epidemics, rumours, gossip, and unreliable information on the news and social media spread rapidly, resulting in so-called 'infodemics' [38]. The West African Ebola epidemic was covered widely by media [39], and the fear of Ebola reached every corner of the world, exemplified by travel bans from affected countries, and trade barriers [40], in contrast to the ongoing epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo [41,42]. In our second theme, trust, doubt, and fear of health workers were represented.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world

Gunnlaugsson

Hauksdóttir

Bygbjerg

et al. 2019

Global Health Action

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Background : The Ebola epidemic in West Africa caused global fear and stirred up worldwide preparedness activities in countries sharing borders with those affected, and in geographically far-away countries such as Iceland. Objective : To describe and analyse Ebola preparedness activities within the Icelandic healthcare system, and to explore the perspectives and experiences of managers and frontline health workers. Methods : A qualitative case study, based on semi-structured interviews with 21 staff members in the national Ebola Treatment Team, Emergency Room at Landspitali University Hospital, and managers of the response team. Results : Contextual factors such as culture and demography influenced preparedness, and contributed to the positive state of mind of participants, and ingenuity in using available resources for preparedness. While participants believed they were ready to take on the task of Ebola, they also had doubts about the chances of Ebola ever reaching Iceland. Yet, factors such as fear of Ebola and the perceived stigma associated with caring for a potentially infected Ebola patient, influenced the preparation process and resulted in plans for specific precautions by staff to secure the safety of their families. There were also concerns about the teamwork and lack of commitment by some during training. Being a ‘tiny’ nation was seen as both an asset and a weakness in the preparation process. Honest information sharing and scenario-based training contributed to increased confidence amongst participants in the response plans. Conclusions : Communication and training were important for preparedness of health staff in Iceland, in order to receive, admit, and treat a patient suspected of having Ebola, while doubts prevailed on staff capacity to properly do so. For optimal preparedness, likely scenarios for future global security health threats need to be repeatedly enacted, and areas plagued by poverty and fragile healthcare systems require global support.

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“…The outbreak is occurring in a densely populated urban area proximal to international borders with Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan and major transportation thoroughfares. Distrust of public health authorities [54] and misconceptions regarding EVD [55] are proving extremely problematic given the longstanding presence of conflict and social unrest in the region. On 17 July 2019, the WHO declared the outbreak a PHEIC, making EVD responsible for two of the five times this designation has been used to date [56].…”

Section: The Ongoing Evd Outbreak In Eastern Drc 2018-presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delayed recognition of Ebola virus disease is associated with longer and larger outbreaks

Matson

Chertow

Munster

2020

Emerging Microbes & Infections

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The average time required to detect an Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak following spillover of Ebola virus (EBOV) to a primary human case has remained essentially unchanged for over 40 years, with some of the longest delays in detection occurring in recent decades. In this review, our aim was to examine the relationship between delays in detection of EVD and the duration and size of outbreaks, and we report that longer delays are associated with longer and larger EVD outbreaks. Historically, EVD outbreaks have typically been comprised of less than 100 cases (median = 60) and have lasted less than 4 months (median = 118 days). The ongoing outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo, together with the 2013-2016 west Africa outbreak, are stark outliers amidst these trends and had two of the longest delays in detection on record. While significant progress has been made in the development of EVD countermeasures, implementation during EVD outbreaks is problematic. Thus, EVD surveillance must be improved by the broad deployment of modern diagnostic tools, as prompt recognition of EVD has the potential to stem early transmission and ultimately limit the duration and size of outbreaks.

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Ebola virus epidemic in war-torn eastern DR Congo

Abstract: Minimally disruptive medicine: a pragmatically comprehensive model for delivering care to patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Cited by 56 publications

References 8 publications

Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice towards measures for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the Ugandans: A nationwide online cross-sectional Survey

Awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice towards measures for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the Ugandans: A nationwide online cross-sectional Survey

‘Tiny Iceland’ preparing for Ebola in a globalized world

Delayed recognition of Ebola virus disease is associated with longer and larger outbreaks

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