Ebola and the limited effectiveness of travel restrictions.

Reduced Risk of Importing Ebola Virus Disease because of Travel Restrictions in 2014: A Retrospective Epidemiological Modeling Study

BACKGROUND An epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) from 2013-16 posed a serious risk of global spread during its early growth phase. A post-epidemic evaluation of the effectiveness of travel restrictions has yet to be conducted. The present study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of travel restrictions in reducing the risk of importation from mid-August to September, 2014, using a simple haz...

Countries’ response to WHO’s travel recommendations during the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak

OBJECTIVE To determine how, during the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in western Africa, States Parties to the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) followed the IHR's international travel recommendations. METHODS In 2015, we used the Google search engine to investigate the 196 States Parties to the 2005 IHR. Information detailing Ebola-related travel regulat...

Using the Untested Ebola Drug in Ebola Affected Patients: An Ethical Dilemma

In this month’s Bulletin

Preventing interpersonal violence Christopher R Mikton et al. (36–48) propose research priorities. Travel restrictions during the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak Wendy Rhymer and Rick Speare (10–17) evaluate countries’ response to WHO’s travel recommendations. Biological outcomes and behavioural risks Maureen Miller and Emily Hagan (62–68) describe other aspects of surveillance needed for pandemic pre...

Febrile illness in healthcare workers caring for Ebola virus disease patients in a high-resource setting

Ebola virus disease (EVD) patients treated in high-resource facilities are cared for by large numbers of healthcare staff. Monitoring these healthcare workers (HCWs) for any illness that may represent transmission of Ebola virus is important both for the individuals and to minimise the community risk. International policies for monitoring HCWs vary considerably and their effectiveness is unknow...