Chan Jocelyn, Patel Mahomed, Tobin Sean, Sheppeard Vicky
Health Protection New South Wales (NSW), NSW Health, Locked Mail Bag 961 North, Sydney, NSW, 2059, Australia.
National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH), Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2017 Jan 24;17(1):113. doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4016-2.
Amidst an Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic of unprecedented magnitude in west Africa, concerns about the risk of importing EVD led to the introduction of programs for the screening and monitoring of travellers in a number of countries, including Australia. Emerging reports indicate that these programs are feasible to implement, however rigorous evaluations are not yet available. We aimed to evaluate the program of screening and monitoring travellers in New South Wales.
We conducted a mixed methods study to evaluate the program of screening and monitoring travellers in New South Wales. We extracted quantitative data from the Notifiable Conditions Information Management System database and obtained qualitative data from two separate surveys of public health staff and arrivals, conducted by phone.
Between 1 October 2014 and 13 April 2015, public health staff assessed a total of 122 out of 123 travellers. Six people (5%) developed symptoms compatible with EVD and required further assessment. None developed EVD. Aid workers required lower levels of support compared to other travellers. Many travellers experienced stigmatisation. Public health staff were successful in supporting travellers to recognise and manage symptoms.
We recommend that programs for monitoring travellers should be tailored to the needs of different populations and include specific strategies to remediate stigmatisation.
在西非爆发规模空前的埃博拉病毒病（EVD）疫情期间，对输入性EVD风险的担忧促使包括澳大利亚在内的许多国家出台了针对旅行者的筛查和监测计划。新出现的报告表明这些计划实施起来是可行的，然而尚未有严格的评估。我们旨在评估新南威尔士州的旅行者筛查和监测计划。
我们开展了一项混合方法研究，以评估新南威尔士州的旅行者筛查和监测计划。我们从法定疾病信息管理系统数据库中提取了定量数据，并通过电话对公共卫生工作人员和抵达者进行了两项独立调查，获取了定性数据。
在2014年10月1日至2015年4月13日期间，公共卫生工作人员共评估了123名旅行者中的122名。有6人（5%）出现了与EVD相符的症状，需要进一步评估。没有人感染EVD。与其他旅行者相比，援助工作者需要的支持水平较低。许多旅行者受到了污名化对待。公共卫生工作人员成功地帮助旅行者识别和处理症状。
我们建议，旅行者监测计划应根据不同人群的需求进行调整，并包括消除污名化的具体策略。
