Ebola outbreak: Contact tracing key to outbreak control as number of cases nears 1,000
With the number of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases closing in on 1,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) says “contact tracing” is key to getting this, the largest Ebola outbreak in history, under control.
Photo/CDC
Contact tracing is simply finding persons who have been in close contact with persons infected with Ebola, monitoring them to see if they have become infected, and providing them with education and support.
Another key action is ensuring the appropriate messages are delivered to the public. The WHO says social mobilization and risk communications teams are working in the 3 countries to help health officials deliver appropriate messages about how to report, handle, and treat Ebola cases.
The current outbreak in West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) has seen 930 cases of Ebola, with about 580 deaths, and new cases continue to be reported. According to the WHO, Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever) is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90%. The illness affects humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in a village near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the other in a remote area of Sudan. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
