Containing the threat - don't forget Ebola

In 2000, Uganda experienced the largest outbreak of Ebola fever ever described. What can we learn from the Ugandan experience to help us prepare for future outbreaks

Evaluation of a blended online and digital learning mode of anatomy and physiology for undergraduate nursing students

Blended online and digital learning includes a variety of activities that combine engaging classroom-based education with online learning. The aim of this study is to evaluate undergraduate students' perceptions of a blended online and digital curriculum for anatomy and physiology in the nursing degree program. A quantitative methodology was used with a sample of 100 undergraduate nursing students from a single Australian University. Descriptive statistics are and presented in this article. Of the 100 participants, 90% were enrolled in the standard mode compared to 10% in a flexible mode of delivery. Results indicated that 29% of participants preferred laboratory classes as having the most impact. Participants (46%) also agreed that recorded lectures were useful, with 36% indicating that the online platform was easy to navigate going as far as wanting more online quizzes (49%). More than half of the participants (54%) acknowledged that anatomy and physiology was important for their future careers. The blended online and digital learner preferences in delivering anatomy and physiology-related courses should be adjusted in order for learning to be effective for undergraduate students in the future. © Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

The architectural design studio as a learning environment: a qualitative exploration of architecture design student learning experiences in design studios from first- through fourth-yea

This qualitative study addresses the design studio learning experiences of fifth-year architectural students, from their first year to their fourth year. It discusses the descriptions that architecture students give to the learning experiences, describes the perceptions that design students have of their learning experiences, and illuminates the outcomes of these learning experiences. The findings show that the students described their learning experiences as interrelational, perceived the experiences as transitional, and felt that their learning experiences aided in the production of outcomes. The findings were viewed within social constructivist and constructionist viewpoints and were contingent on Chickering and Reisser\u27s model of student development. Since studio culture is generated partially by a student culture that encompasses interaction, these learning experiences are also affected by interaction. This study explores the meaning students make of their learning experiences in the design studio, which are affected by this interaction

The culture of architectural design studio: a qualitative pilot study on the interaction of the instructor and the student in their culture and the identification of the instructor\u27s teaching styles

This qualitative pilot study was inspired by my interest in the culture of architectural design studio and my earnest desire to be a more effective educator in my field. Since the study of this culture is quite broad, and there are several factors that influence it, the decision was made to focus on an important participant of the culture-the instructor. The social constructivist and symbolic interactionist perspectives became important tools in helping guide this study and understand the participants. After a constant referral, by the participants through their narratives, to the instructors\u27 experiences, roles and influences on the culture of the architectural design studio, possible teaching styles or instructor types were identified, through data analysis methods of narrative analysis and grounded theory. The participants\u27 narratives, also suggested interaction of the instructor with self, the student and the project, therefore having the ability to guide working relationships and influence the studio culture as a whole

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Transmission and Risk Factors of Contacts, Uganda1

From August 2000 through January 2001, a large epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever occurred in Uganda, with 425 cases and 224 deaths. Starting from three laboratory-confirmed cases, we traced the chains of transmission for three generations, until we reached the primary case-patients (i.e., persons with an unidentified source of infection). We then prospectively identified the other contacts in whom the disease had developed. To identify the risk factors associated with transmission, we interviewed both healthy and ill contacts (or their proxies) who had been reported by the case-patients (or their proxies) and who met the criteria set for contact tracing during surveillance. The patterns of exposure of 24 case-patients and 65 healthy contacts were defined, and crude and adjusted prevalence proportion ratios (PPR) were estimated for different types of exposure. Contact with the patient’s body fluids (PPR = 4.61%, 95% confidence interval 1.73 to 12.29) was the strongest risk factor, although transmission through fomites also seems possible

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Associated with Novel Virus Strain, Uganda, 2007–2008

Case-fatality rate is lower for this strain than for the other 3 Ebola species known to be pathogenic to humans

Ebola haemorrhagic fever outbreak in Masindi District, Uganda: outbreak description and lessons learned

ABSTRACT

Community-Centered Responses to Ebola in Urban Liberia: The View from Below

The West African Ebola epidemic has demonstrated that the existing range of medical and epidemiological responses to emerging disease outbreaks is insufficient, especially in post-conflict contexts with exceedingly poor healthcare infrastructures. This study provides baseline information on community-based epidemic control priorities and identifies innovative local strategies for containing EVD in Liberia.In this study the authors analyzed data from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Monrovia and Montserrado County, Liberia. The data were collected for the purposes of program design and evaluation by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Liberia (GOL), in order to identify: (1) local knowledge about EVD, (2) local responses to the outbreak, and (3) community based innovations to contain the virus. At the time of data collection, the international Ebola response had little insight into how much local Liberian communities knew about Ebola, and how communities managed the epidemic when they could not get access to care due to widespread hospital and clinic closures. Methods included 15 focus group discussions with community leaders from areas with active Ebola cases. Participants were asked about best practices and what they were currently doing to manage EVD in their respective communities, with the goal of developing conceptual models of local responses informed by local narratives. Findings reveal that communities responded to the outbreak in numerous ways that both supported and discouraged formal efforts to contain the spread of the disease. This research will inform global health policy for both this, and future, epidemic and pandemic responses

Ebola and Marburg Hemorrhagic Fevers: Neglected Tropical Diseases?

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) and Marburg hemorrhagic fever (MHF) are rare viral diseases, endemic to central Africa. The overall burden of EHF and MHF is small in comparison to the more common protozoan, helminth, and bacterial diseases typically referred to as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). However, EHF and MHF outbreaks typically occur in resource-limited settings, and many aspects of these outbreaks are a direct consequence of impoverished conditions. We will discuss aspects of EHF and MHF disease, in comparison to the “classic” NTDs, and examine potential ways forward in the prevention and control of EHF and MHF in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as examine the potential for application of novel vaccines or antiviral drugs for prevention or control of EHF and MHF among populations at highest risk for disease