Abstract
Ebolavirus disease (EVD) is a severe contagious disease in humans, and health care workers (HCW) are at risk of infection when caring for EVD patients. This paper highlights the epidemiologic profile of EVD and its impact on the health care workforce in Africa. A documentary study was conducted which consisted of a review of available literature regarding the epidemiology of EVD, occupational EVD (OEVD), and work safety issues in Sub-Saharan Africa; the literature findings are enriched by field experiences from the authors. EVD outbreaks have already caused 30,500 cases in humans of whom 12,933 died (as of September 9, 2015), and the number of infected HCW has dramatically increased. All eight HCW infected during the 2014 outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo died, whereas during the recent West African EVD epidemic more than 890 HCW were infected, with a case fatality rate of 57%. Occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids due to inadequate use of personal protective equipment and needle stick or sharp injuries are among factors that contribute to the occurrence of OEVD. Prevention of OEVD should be one of the top priorities in EVD outbreak preparedness and management, and research should be conducted to elucidate occupational and other factors that expose HCW to EVD. In addition to regularly training HCW to be adequately prepared to care for patients with EVD, it is critical to strengthen the general health care system and improve occupational safety in medical settings of countries at risk.
Highlights
Ebolavirus disease (EVD) is a serious infectious disease in humans caused by a virus whose natural reservoirs are thought to be fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family.[1,2] EVD is a deadly disease in humans and can be fatal without proper treatment and care
From the first EVD outbreak to the present, the morbidity and mortality trends suggest that EVD represents a very real disaster for which countermeasures should be adapted to the level of severity of the catastrophe
The number of health care workers (HCW) infected during recent EVD episodes increased dramatically from past episodes, despite special preventive measures implemented for members of the health care workforce
Summary
Ebolavirus disease (EVD) is a serious infectious disease in humans caused by a virus whose natural reservoirs are thought to be fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family.[1,2] EVD is a deadly disease in. The most recent EVD outbreak started in Guinea in December 2013; it expanded to Liberia and Sierra Leone in May 2014 before reaching other West African countries, including Nigeria and Senegal. This West African EVD epidemic is the deadliest in the history of the disease, affecting at least 28,135 people and killing approximately 11,291 (as of September 9, 2015).[8] It is the first EVD outbreak to reach other continents beyond Africa, with cases in Europe (Spain, Italy and England) and North America (the United States).[6] Some of these cases of imported EVD reportedly occurred in people who stayed or worked in western Africa. This paper presents the epidemiologic profile of EVD and the impact of EVD epidemics on the health care workforce and highlights the necessity of reinforcing Ebola disaster preparedness in countries at risk
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