TY - JOUR
T1 - A modified case definition to facilitate essential hospital care during Ebola outbreaks
AU - Huizenga, Erdi
AU - van der Ende, Jacob
AU - Zwinkels, Nick
AU - Jimissa, Augustine
AU - van der Ende-Bouwman, Carolien
AU - van Rooijen, Ruurd
AU - Kargbo, Brima
AU - Agnandji, Selidji T.
AU - Hanscheid, Thomas
AU - Goorhuis, Abraham
AU - Grobusch, Martin P.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - During the late phase of the large West-African Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, the majority of patients were cared for in designated treatment centers. However, the preexisting healthcare infrastructure was already overwhelmed by the outbreak. This had a huge impact on other, non-EVD-related diseases, causing an unprecedented increase in morbidity and mortality, which most likely exceeded the toll due to EVD directly. Consequently, a crucial question is how to provide appropriate healthcare and safeguard functionality of a healthcare system that also serves patients not suspected or diagnosed to have EVD. Here, we report on the Lion Heart Medical Center's experience in Sierra Leone and note that a case definition of Ebola that is broader than those commonly applied may be better suited when it is necessary to identify atypically presenting, pauci-symptomatic cases.
AB - During the late phase of the large West-African Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, the majority of patients were cared for in designated treatment centers. However, the preexisting healthcare infrastructure was already overwhelmed by the outbreak. This had a huge impact on other, non-EVD-related diseases, causing an unprecedented increase in morbidity and mortality, which most likely exceeded the toll due to EVD directly. Consequently, a crucial question is how to provide appropriate healthcare and safeguard functionality of a healthcare system that also serves patients not suspected or diagnosed to have EVD. Here, we report on the Lion Heart Medical Center's experience in Sierra Leone and note that a case definition of Ebola that is broader than those commonly applied may be better suited when it is necessary to identify atypically presenting, pauci-symptomatic cases.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85067604187&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30239602
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciy798
DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciy798
M3 - Article
C2 - 30239602
SN - 1058-4838
VL - 68
SP - 1763
EP - 1768
JO - Clinical Infectious Diseases
JF - Clinical Infectious Diseases
IS - 10
ER -