Evaluation of Infection Prevention and Control Readiness at Frontline Health Care Facilities in High-Risk Districts Bordering Ebola Virus Disease-Affected Areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Uganda, 2018.

Evaluation of Infection Prevention and Control Readiness at Frontline Health Care Facilities in High-Risk Districts Bordering Ebola Virus Disease-Affected Areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Uganda, 2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019 Oct 04;68(39):851-854 Authors: Biedron C, Lyman M, Stuckey MJ, Homsy J, Lamorde M, Luvsansharav UO, Wilson K, Gomes D, Omuut W, Okware S, Semanda JN, Kiggundu R, Bulwadda D, Brown V, Nelson LJ, Driwale A, Fagan R, Park BJ, Smith RM Abstract Infection prevention and control (IPC) in health care facilities is essential to protecting patients, visitors, and health care personnel from the spread of infectious diseases, including Ebola virus disease (Ebola). Patients with suspected Ebola are typically referred to specialized Ebola treatment units (ETUs), which have strict isolation and IPC protocols, for testing and treatment (1,2). However, in settings where contact tracing is inadequate, Ebola patients might first seek care at general health care facilities, which often have insufficient IPC capacity (3-6). Before 2014-2016, most Ebola outbreaks occurred in rural or nonurban communities, and the role of health care facilities as amplification points, while recognized, was limited (7,8). In contrast to these earlier outbreaks, the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak occurred in densely populated urban areas where access to health care facilities was better, but contact tracing was generally i...
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkl... - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Source Type: research