26 research outputs found
Clinical Manifestations and Case Management of Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever caused by a newly identified virus strain, Bundibugyo, Uganda, 2007-2008
A confirmed Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) outbreak in Bundibugyo, Uganda, November 2007-February 2008, was caused by a putative new species (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). It included 93 putative cases, 56 laboratory-confirmed cases, and 37 deaths (CFR = 25%). Study objectives are to describe clinical manifestations and case management for 26 hospitalised laboratory-confirmed EHF patients. Clinical findings are congruous with previously reported EHF infections. The most frequently experienced symptoms were non-bloody diarrhoea (81%), severe headache (81%), and asthenia (77%). Seven patients reported or were observed with haemorrhagic symptoms, six of whom died. Ebola care remains difficult due to the resource-poor setting of outbreaks and the infection-control procedures required. However, quality data collection is essential to evaluate case definitions and therapeutic interventions, and needs improvement in future epidemics. Organizations usually involved in EHF case management have a particular responsibility in this respect
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