Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-2015

Journal

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Volume

Volume 21, Issue 3

Abstract

In some parts of western Africa, Ebola treatment centers (ETCs) have reached capacity. Unless capacity is rapidly scaled up, the chance to avoid a generalized Ebola epidemic will soon diminish. The World Health Organization and partners are considering additional Ebola patient care options, including community care centers (CCCs), small, lightly staffed units that could be used to isolate patients outside the home and get them into care sooner than otherwise possible. Using a transmission model, we evaluated the benefits and risks of introducing CCCs into Sierra Leone’s Western Area, where most ETCs are at capacity. We found that use of CCCs could lead to a decline in cases, even if virus transmission occurs between CCC patients and the community. However, to prevent CCC amplification of the epidemic, the risk of Ebola virus–negative persons being exposed to virus within CCCs would have to be offset by a reduction in community transmission resulting from CCC use.

Comments

Emerging Infectious Diseases is a U.S. Government publication and is in public domain within the United States.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is free of known copyright restrictions.

Peer Reviewed

1

Open Access

1

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