RTI International, Durham, NC, United States.
Directorate of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Kinshasa, Congo.
Front Public Health. 2020 Aug 4;8:349. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00349. eCollection 2020.
While the clinical, laboratory and epidemiological investigation results of the Ebola outbreak in Likati Health Zone, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May 2017 have been previously reported, we provide novel commentary on the contextual, social, and epidemiological characteristics of the epidemic. As first responders with the outbreak Surveillance Team, we explain the procedures that led to a successful epidemiological investigation and ultimately a rapid end to the epidemic. We discuss the role that several factors played in the trajectory of the epidemic, including traditional healers, insufficient knowledge of epidemiological case definitions, a lack of community-based surveillance systems and tools, and remote geography. We also demonstrate how a collaborative Rapid Response Team and implementation of community-based surveillance methods helped counter contextual challenges during the Likati epidemic and aid in identifying and reporting suspected cases and contacts in remote and rural settings. Understanding these factors can hinder or help in the rapid detection, notification, and response to future epidemics in the DRC.
虽然 2017 年 5 月刚果民主共和国 Likati 卫生区爆发埃博拉疫情的临床、实验室和流行病学调查结果此前已有报道，但我们对该疫情的背景、社会和流行病学特征提供了新的评论。作为疫情监测小组的首批应对者，我们解释了导致成功流行病学调查并最终迅速结束疫情的程序。我们讨论了几个因素在疫情轨迹中所起的作用，包括传统治疗师、对流行病学病例定义的知识不足、缺乏基于社区的监测系统和工具以及偏远的地理位置。我们还展示了快速反应团队的协作以及基于社区的监测方法的实施如何有助于应对 Likati 疫情期间的背景挑战，并有助于在偏远和农村地区识别和报告疑似病例和接触者。了解这些因素可以阻碍或有助于在刚果民主共和国迅速发现、通知和应对未来的疫情。
