Serologic Survey among Hospital and Health Center Workers during the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Outbreak in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1995

From May to July 1995, a serologic and interview survey was conducted to describe Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) among personnel working in 5 hospitals and 26 health care centers in and around Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Job-specific attack rates estimated for Kikwit General Hospital, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1999-02, Vol.179 (Supplement-1), p.S98-S101
Main Authors: Tomori, Oyewale, Bertolli, Jeanne, Rollin, Pierre E., Fleerackers, Yon, Guimard, Yves, De Roo, Ann, Feldmann, Heinz, Burt, Felicity, Swanepoel, Robert, Killian, Scott, Khan, Ali S., Tshioko, Kweteminga, Bwaka, Mpia, Ndambe, Roger, Peters, C. J., Ksiazek, Thomas G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antibodies, Viral - blood
Blood
Democratic Republic of the Congo - epidemiology
Disease Outbreaks
Disease transmission
Ebola virus
Ebolavirus - immunology
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Epidemiology and Surveillance
Female
Health care facilities
Health Personnel
Health surveys
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - epidemiology
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - immunology
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - transmission
Hospitals
Humans
Infections
Male
Patient Isolation
Personnel, Hospital
Specimens
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:From May to July 1995, a serologic and interview survey was conducted to describe Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) among personnel working in 5 hospitals and 26 health care centers in and around Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Job-specific attack rates estimated for Kikwit General Hospital, the epicenter of the EHF epidemic, were 31% for physicians, 11% for technicians/room attendants, 10% for nurses, and 4% for other workers. Among 402 workers who did not meet the EHF case definition, 12 had borderline positive antibody test results; subsequent specimens from 4 of these tested negative. Although an old infection with persistent Ebola antibody production or a recent atypical or asymptomatic infection cannot be ruled out, if they occur at all, they appear to be rare. This survey demonstrated that opportunities for transmission of Ebola virus to personnel in health facilities existed in Kikwit because blood and body fluid precautions were not being universally followed.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1086/514307