Community quarantine to interrupt Ebola virus transmission - Mawah Village, Bong
County, Liberia, August-October, 2014
#MMPMID25719679
Nyenswah T
; Blackley DJ
; Freeman T
; Lindblade KA
; Arzoaquoi SK
; Mott JA
; Williams JN
; Halldin CN
; Kollie F
; Laney AS
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
2015[Feb]; 64
(7
): 179-82
PMID25719679
show ga
On September 30, 2014, the Bong County health officer notified the county Ebola
task force of a growing outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in Mawah, a
village of approximately 800 residents. During September 9-16, household
quarantine had been used by the community in response to a new Ebola infection.
Because the infection led to a local outbreak that grew during September 17-20,
county authorities suggested community quarantine be considered, and beginning on
approximately September 20, the Fuamah District Ebola Task Force (Task Force)
engaged Mawah leaders to provide education about Ebola and to secure cooperation
for the proposed measures. On September 30, Bong County requested technical
assistance to develop strategies to limit transmission in the village and to
prevent spread to other areas. The county health team, with support from the Task
Force and CDC, traveled to Mawah on October 1 and identified approximately two
dozen residents reporting symptoms consistent with Ebola. Because of an ambulance
shortage, 2 days were required, beginning October 1, to transport the patients to
an Ebola treatment unit in Monrovia. Community quarantine measures, consisting of
restrictions on entering or leaving Mawah, regulated river crossings, and market
closures, were implemented on October 1. Local leaders raised concerns about
availability of medical care and food. The local clinic was reopened on October
11, and food was distributed on October 12. The Task Force reported a total of 22
cases of Ebola in Mawah during September 9-October 2, of which 19 were fatal.
During October 3-November 21, no new cases were reported in the village.
Involving community members during planning and implementation helped support a
safe and effective community quarantine in Mawah.
|*Quarantine
[MESH]
|*Residence Characteristics
[MESH]
|Adult
[MESH]
|Contact Tracing
[MESH]
|Disease Outbreaks/*prevention & control
[MESH]
|Ebolavirus/isolation & purification
[MESH]
|Female
[MESH]
|Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/epidemiology/*prevention & control
[MESH]
free
free
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