Preperation for the next Ebola outbreak
December 2013 to April 2016 marked the largest epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in recent history, causing 28,000 incidences and nearly 11,000 deaths according to an article by The New England Journal of Medicine. Although the recent outbreak has supplied researchers much more insight about the disease, EVD still remains a volatile force in regions throughout Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Thus, preventative measures within the classical approach to EVD control must be employed by extensive surveillance, rapid detection and diagnosis, prompt patient isolation, supportive clinical care, among many others. Various interventions have been employed to systematically address and mitigate the potential of future outbreaks of EVD.
Ebola virus disease, previously known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a fatal infection transmitted by both humans and animals. EVD has an average fatality rate of 50% around the world, and is prevalent more recently in West Africa. To date, there is no proven treatment for EVD, but supportive care-rehydration and symptom-specific treatment improves survival.
Vaccinations of replication-competent recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) derived from a vaccine expressing Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) glycoprotein were tested in a 2016 field study in Europe and Africa. The study aimed to evaluate safety, side-effect profile, immunogenicity, and overall potential of the vaccine for treatment. The potential for this vaccine to treat EVD are still unclear, although use of this vaccine probably reduced disease transmission in Guinea after April 2015. Additional studies are evaluating the use of blood products, immune therapy, and drug therapy to treat EVD.
Mathematical modeling has been used to examine the underlying causes of disease, and health outcome effects in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. These analyses conclude that increasing admission to Ebola treatment centers and reducing delays in hospitalization can significantly regulate EVD morbidity. Furthermore, they suggest that EVD is largely preventable, and community initiatives to reduce response time can effectively control the disease, particularly in densely populated cities.
EVD continues to pose a risk for patients and health-workers throughout Western Africa, thus proving the need for increased precaution moving forward. Treatments for EVD are much-needed for long-term control of the disease, although multiple studies suggest robust health-care system reform can also be effective by reducing turn-around-time (TAT) and increasing responsiveness. Though it seems we are more prepared for another outbreak, we cannot underestimate the need financial support, policy revisions, and aid effort in mobilizing for greater threats.