Novel Vector Control Approaches: The Future for Prevention of Zika Virus Transmission?

In a Perspective accompanying Abad-Franch and colleagues, Lorenz von Seidlein, Alexander Kekulé, and Daniel Strickman discuss the importance of developing effective strategies to minimize mosquito-borne transmission of human diseases

The Law of Responsibility and the World Health Organisation: a Case Study on the West African Ebola Outbreak

The WHO has grown significantly as an international actor and exerts substantial power at the international level. This chapter considers the power of the WHO and the problematic use of its powers, particularly the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The chapter particularly considers the case study of the WHO's delay in declaring the Ebola crisis in West Africa to be a PHEIC and the potential legal responsibility arising from this

Remote-controlled and pulse pressure-guided fluid treatment for adult patients with viral hemorrhagic fevers

Circulatory shock, caused by severe intravascular volume depletion resulting from gastrointestinal losses and profound capillary leak, is a common clinical feature of viral hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola virus disease, Marburg hemorrhagic fever, and Lassa fever. These conditions are associated with high case fatality rates, and they carry a significant risk of infection for treating personnel. Optimized fluid therapy is the cornerstone of management of these diseases, but there are few data on the extent of fluid losses and the severity of the capillary leak in patients with VHFs, and no specific guidelines for fluid resuscitation and hemodynamic monitoring exist. We propose an innovative approach for monitoring VHF patients, in particular suited for low-resource settings, facilitating optimizing fluid therapy through remote-controlled and pulse pressure–guided fluid resuscitation. This strategy would increase the capacity for adequate supportive care, while decreasing the risk for virus transmission to health personnel