Resources

Lassa fever outbreak in Southwestern Nigeria: The Ekiti state response amidst economic recession

This article describes part of the response to an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria in 2016.  The paper underlines the importance of Intersectoral collaboration and political will in response to outbreaks at the provincial or state, but also records challenges to control efforts including inadequate local laboratory capacity and fear among health workers, panic response among the general populace as well as deficient emergency preparedness.

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Use of protective gear and the occurrence of occupational Marburg hemorrhagic fever in health workers from Watsa health zone, Democratic Republic of the Congo

This paper shows how health workers used PPE in an outbreak of Marburg Virus in DRC.  The findings show that HWs protected themselves better during invasive procedures (injections, venepuncture, and surgery) than during noninvasive procedures, but the overall level of protection in the hospital remained insufficient, particularly outside of isolation wards. The reasons for inconsistent use of protective gear included insufficient availability of the gear, adherence to non-biomedical explanatory models of the origin of disease, and peer bonding with sick colleagues.

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U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC): Lassa fever

Further information from the U.S. CDC in both English and French about the transmission, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lassa fever.

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Safe intensive-care management of a severe case of Lassa fever with simple barrier nursing techniques

This resource describes the case-management of Lassa fever in a specific patient and the difficulties encountered in repatriating her for diagnosis and management, which is unavailable in Sierra Leone, are described.The experience with this case has implications for the medical care and safe handling of Lassa fever in both endemic and nonendemic areas.

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Lassa fever: Epidemiology, clinical features, and social consequences

This resource describes the epidemiology of Lassa fever and its vector, as well as the clinical course and management of the disease. It then reports on current treatment efforts, surveillance and disease control before presenting community perspectives through a knowledge, attitude and practice survey and a qualitative study.  

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Getting to zero: A doctor and a diplomat on the Ebola frontline

This book exposes the often shocking shortcomings of the humanitarian response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, both locally and internationally, and calls attention to the immense courage of those who put their lives on the line every day to contain the disease.

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Lassa fever

In a study of Lassa fever in Sierra Leone, West Africa, this paper identifies two variables associated with a high risk of death, and evaluates the efficacy of ribavirin and Lassa virus–convalescent plasma for the treatment of Lassa fever.

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