There is growing concern in Sub-Saharan Africa about the spread of the Ebola virus disease(EVD),formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever,and the public health burden that it ensues.Since 1976,there have been 885,343...There is growing concern in Sub-Saharan Africa about the spread of the Ebola virus disease(EVD),formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever,and the public health burden that it ensues.Since 1976,there have been 885,343 suspected and laboratory confirmed cases of EVD and the disease has claimed 2,512 cases and 932 fatality in West Africa.There are certain requirements that must be met when responding to EVD outbreaks and this process could incur certain challenges.For the purposes of this paper,five have been identified:(i)the deficiency in the development and implementation of surveillance response systems against Ebola and others infectious disease outbreaks in Africa;(ii)the lack of education and knowledge resulting in an EVD outbreak triggering panic,anxiety,psychosocial trauma,isolation and dignity impounding,stigmatisation,community ostracism and resistance to associated socio-ecological and public health consequences;(iii)limited financial resources,human technical capacity and weak community and national health system operational plans for prevention and control responses,practices and management;(iv)inadequate leadership and coordination;and(v)the lack of development of new strategies,tools and approaches,such as improved diagnostics and novel therapies including vaccines which can assist in preventing,controlling and containing Ebola outbreaks as well as the spread of the disease.Hence,there is an urgent need to develop and implement an active early warning alert and surveillance response system for outbreak response and control of emerging infectious diseases.Understanding the unending risks of transmission dynamics and resurgence is essential in implementing rapid effective response interventions tailored to specific local settings and contexts.Therefore,the following actions are recommended:(i)national and regional inter-sectorial and trans-disciplinary surveillance response systems that include early warnings,as well as critical human resources development,must be quickly adopted by allied ministries and organisations in African countries in epidemic and pandemic responses;(ii)harnessing all stakeholders commitment and advocacy in sustained funding,collaboration,communication and networking including community participation to enhance a coordinated responses,as well as tracking and prompt case management to combat challenges;(iii)more research and development in new drug discovery and vaccines;and(iv)understanding the involvement of global health to promote the establishment of public health surveillance response systems with functions of early warning,as well as monitoring and evaluation in upholding research-action programmes and innovative interventions.展开更多
Due to the lack of Ebola outbreak early warning alert,preparedness,surveillance and response systems,the most deadly,complex and largest ever seen Ebola war has been devastating West African communities.The unparallel...Due to the lack of Ebola outbreak early warning alert,preparedness,surveillance and response systems,the most deadly,complex and largest ever seen Ebola war has been devastating West African communities.The unparalleled Ebola tsunami has prompted interrogations into,and uncertainties about,the effectiveness and efficiency of national,regional and international community’s illed-responses using conventional humanitarian control and containment approaches and methods.The late humanitarian and local non-government organisations emergency responses and challenges to curb transmission dynamics and stop the ongoing spread in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa have led to an unprecedented toll of 14,413 reported Ebola cases in eight countries since the outbreak began,with 5,177 reported deaths including 571 health-care workers and 325 died as 14 November 2014.These indications the need of further evaluation of monitoring as substantial proportion of infections outside the context of Ebola epicentres,Ebola health centres treatment and care,infection prevention and control quality assurance checks in these countries.At the same time,exhaustive efforts should target ensuring an sufficient supply of optimal personal protective equipment(PPE)to all Ebola treatment facilities,along with the provision of training and relevant guidelines to limit to the minimum possible level of risk.The continent hosts a big proportion of the world’s wealth,yet its people live in abject poverty,with governments unable to feed and govern them effectively,and who are condemned to endure even darker moments with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.Institutionalisation of practical and operational non-conventional emergency response models efficient health systems,and tailored programmes can clearly support to prevent,control and eventually stamp out Ebola geo-distribution in addition to population mental health services that are requisite to address the massive range of the health,socio-psychological and economic consequences during and post Ebola associated crises.There is a critical need for a more pragmatic and robust scientific approach to transform and re-orient the huge natural and human resource potentials towards achieving universal coverage,the 2015-2030 Millennium Developing Goals(MDGs),sustainable growth and development in Africa.展开更多
The epidemic of the Ebola virus infection in West Africa in 2014 has become a worldwide concern.Due to the nature of the disease,which has an extremely high mortality potential,this outbreak has received much attentio...The epidemic of the Ebola virus infection in West Africa in 2014 has become a worldwide concern.Due to the nature of the disease,which has an extremely high mortality potential,this outbreak has received much attention from researchers and public health workers.An article entitled“Need of surveillance response systems to combat Ebola outbreaks and other emerging infectious diseases in African countries,”published in the journal Infectious Diseases of Poverty in August 2014,concluded that a good surveillance system to monitor disease transmission dynamics is essential and needs to be implemented to combat the outbreak.Issues regarding the limitation of the passive surveillance system have been raised by Professor Viroj Wiwanitkit,who emphasizes the need for an active disease detection system such as mass screening in this letter to editor.The different function between passive and active surveillance system in combating the disease outbreak has been agreed upon by Ernest Tambo et al.There have also been discussions between Wiwanitkit and Tambo et al.on the following issues:(i)the extreme resource limitations in outbreak areas,(ii)new technology to improve the available systems.Further recommendations echoed in this letter to editor by Wiwanitkit,who outlined the research priorities on the development of appropriate combined disease monitoring systems and good policy to allocate available tools and technology in resource-limited settings for epidemic scenarios.The journal’s editor,Professor Xiao-Nong Zhou,has therefore collated all parts of these discussions between authors in this letter to editor paper,in order to further promote research on a combined active and passive system to combat the present extending Ebola outbreak.展开更多
文摘There is growing concern in Sub-Saharan Africa about the spread of the Ebola virus disease(EVD),formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever,and the public health burden that it ensues.Since 1976,there have been 885,343 suspected and laboratory confirmed cases of EVD and the disease has claimed 2,512 cases and 932 fatality in West Africa.There are certain requirements that must be met when responding to EVD outbreaks and this process could incur certain challenges.For the purposes of this paper,five have been identified:(i)the deficiency in the development and implementation of surveillance response systems against Ebola and others infectious disease outbreaks in Africa;(ii)the lack of education and knowledge resulting in an EVD outbreak triggering panic,anxiety,psychosocial trauma,isolation and dignity impounding,stigmatisation,community ostracism and resistance to associated socio-ecological and public health consequences;(iii)limited financial resources,human technical capacity and weak community and national health system operational plans for prevention and control responses,practices and management;(iv)inadequate leadership and coordination;and(v)the lack of development of new strategies,tools and approaches,such as improved diagnostics and novel therapies including vaccines which can assist in preventing,controlling and containing Ebola outbreaks as well as the spread of the disease.Hence,there is an urgent need to develop and implement an active early warning alert and surveillance response system for outbreak response and control of emerging infectious diseases.Understanding the unending risks of transmission dynamics and resurgence is essential in implementing rapid effective response interventions tailored to specific local settings and contexts.Therefore,the following actions are recommended:(i)national and regional inter-sectorial and trans-disciplinary surveillance response systems that include early warnings,as well as critical human resources development,must be quickly adopted by allied ministries and organisations in African countries in epidemic and pandemic responses;(ii)harnessing all stakeholders commitment and advocacy in sustained funding,collaboration,communication and networking including community participation to enhance a coordinated responses,as well as tracking and prompt case management to combat challenges;(iii)more research and development in new drug discovery and vaccines;and(iv)understanding the involvement of global health to promote the establishment of public health surveillance response systems with functions of early warning,as well as monitoring and evaluation in upholding research-action programmes and innovative interventions.
文摘Due to the lack of Ebola outbreak early warning alert,preparedness,surveillance and response systems,the most deadly,complex and largest ever seen Ebola war has been devastating West African communities.The unparalleled Ebola tsunami has prompted interrogations into,and uncertainties about,the effectiveness and efficiency of national,regional and international community’s illed-responses using conventional humanitarian control and containment approaches and methods.The late humanitarian and local non-government organisations emergency responses and challenges to curb transmission dynamics and stop the ongoing spread in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa have led to an unprecedented toll of 14,413 reported Ebola cases in eight countries since the outbreak began,with 5,177 reported deaths including 571 health-care workers and 325 died as 14 November 2014.These indications the need of further evaluation of monitoring as substantial proportion of infections outside the context of Ebola epicentres,Ebola health centres treatment and care,infection prevention and control quality assurance checks in these countries.At the same time,exhaustive efforts should target ensuring an sufficient supply of optimal personal protective equipment(PPE)to all Ebola treatment facilities,along with the provision of training and relevant guidelines to limit to the minimum possible level of risk.The continent hosts a big proportion of the world’s wealth,yet its people live in abject poverty,with governments unable to feed and govern them effectively,and who are condemned to endure even darker moments with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.Institutionalisation of practical and operational non-conventional emergency response models efficient health systems,and tailored programmes can clearly support to prevent,control and eventually stamp out Ebola geo-distribution in addition to population mental health services that are requisite to address the massive range of the health,socio-psychological and economic consequences during and post Ebola associated crises.There is a critical need for a more pragmatic and robust scientific approach to transform and re-orient the huge natural and human resource potentials towards achieving universal coverage,the 2015-2030 Millennium Developing Goals(MDGs),sustainable growth and development in Africa.
文摘The epidemic of the Ebola virus infection in West Africa in 2014 has become a worldwide concern.Due to the nature of the disease,which has an extremely high mortality potential,this outbreak has received much attention from researchers and public health workers.An article entitled“Need of surveillance response systems to combat Ebola outbreaks and other emerging infectious diseases in African countries,”published in the journal Infectious Diseases of Poverty in August 2014,concluded that a good surveillance system to monitor disease transmission dynamics is essential and needs to be implemented to combat the outbreak.Issues regarding the limitation of the passive surveillance system have been raised by Professor Viroj Wiwanitkit,who emphasizes the need for an active disease detection system such as mass screening in this letter to editor.The different function between passive and active surveillance system in combating the disease outbreak has been agreed upon by Ernest Tambo et al.There have also been discussions between Wiwanitkit and Tambo et al.on the following issues:(i)the extreme resource limitations in outbreak areas,(ii)new technology to improve the available systems.Further recommendations echoed in this letter to editor by Wiwanitkit,who outlined the research priorities on the development of appropriate combined disease monitoring systems and good policy to allocate available tools and technology in resource-limited settings for epidemic scenarios.The journal’s editor,Professor Xiao-Nong Zhou,has therefore collated all parts of these discussions between authors in this letter to editor paper,in order to further promote research on a combined active and passive system to combat the present extending Ebola outbreak.
