Obionu Ifeoma Maureen, Ochu Chinwe Lucia, Ukponu Winifred, Okwor Tochi, Dan-Nwafor Chioma, Ilori Elsie, Ihekweazu Chikwe
Department of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
J Infect Prev. 2021 Nov;22(6):275-282. doi: 10.1177/17571774211035838. Epub 2021 Aug 28.
Outbreaks of Lassa fever (LF) in Nigeria have become more frequent, with increasing more healthcare worker infections. Prevention of infection is dependent on strict compliance to infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in treatment centres where patients are managed.
To evaluate IPC practices during an ongoing LF outbreak in the two major tertiary hospitals serving as the referral LF treatment centres in the north-central region of Nigeria.
This cross-sectional survey was carried out by the IPC subteam of the National Rapid Response Team of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) deployed to Plateau State, north-central Nigeria during the 2019 LF outbreak. Information on IPC in these facilities was collected using the NCDC viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) isolation and treatment facility IPC survey tool.
Both treatment centres had national VHF IPC isolation guidelines and few health workers had received IPC training. In both centres, there were no clearly demarcated entry points for staff going into clinical areas after putting on personal protective equipment, and there were also no standard operating procedures in place for reporting occupational exposure of staff to infected blood or body fluids in both centres.
The LF treatment centers located in Plateau State during the 2019 LF outbreak were not fully implementing the national VHF IPC guidelines. Periodic assessments of IPC are recommended for proper management of cases and effective control of LF in the State.
尼日利亚拉沙热（LF）疫情愈发频繁，医护人员感染人数不断增加。预防感染依赖于在收治患者的治疗中心严格遵守感染预防与控制（IPC）措施。
评估尼日利亚中北部地区作为拉沙热转诊治疗中心的两家主要三级医院在拉沙热疫情期间的感染预防与控制措施。
此项横断面调查由尼日利亚疾病控制中心（NCDC）国家快速反应小组的IPC子团队开展，该团队于2019年拉沙热疫情期间部署到尼日利亚中北部的高原州。这些机构中有关IPC的信息通过使用NCDC病毒性出血热（VHFs）隔离与治疗机构IPC调查工具收集。
两家治疗中心均有国家VHF IPC隔离指南，且很少有医护人员接受过IPC培训。在两个中心，工作人员穿戴个人防护装备后进入临床区域均没有明确划分的入口点，且两个中心均未制定工作人员职业暴露于感染血液或体液的标准操作程序。
2019年拉沙热疫情期间位于高原州的拉沙热治疗中心未充分执行国家VHF IPC指南。建议定期对IPC进行评估，以便对该州的病例进行妥善管理并有效控制拉沙热。
