Ebola virus disease in nonendemic countries

J Formos Med Assoc. 2015 May;114(5):384-98. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2015.01.012. Epub 2015 Apr 13.

Abstract

The 2014 West African outbreak of Ebola virus disease was unprecedented in its scale and has resulted in transmissions outside endemic countries. Clinicians in nonendemic countries will most likely face the disease in returning travelers, either among healthcare workers, expatriates, or visiting friends and relatives. Clinical suspicion for the disease must be heightened for travelers or contacts presenting with compatible clinical syndromes, and strict infection control measures must be promptly implemented to minimize the risk of secondary transmission within healthcare settings or in the community. We present a concise review on human filoviral disease with an emphasis on issues that are pertinent to clinicians practicing in nonendemic countries.

Keywords: Ebola; filovirus; hemorrhagic fever; nosocomial; travel medicine.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Disease Outbreaks / history*
  • Filoviridae / pathogenicity*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / epidemiology*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / prevention & control
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / transmission*
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Travel Medicine
  • Travel*
  • Vaccines, DNA / immunology

Substances

  • Vaccines, DNA