• Philippe Guillaume Poliquin, Florian Vogt, Miriam Kasztura, Anders Leung, Yvon Deschambault, Rafael Van den Bergh, Claire Dorion, Peter Maes, Abdul Kamara, Gary Kobinger, Armand Sprecher, and James E Strong.
• Public Health Agency of Canada Department of Medical Microbiology Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg.
• J. Infect. Dis. 2016 Oct 15; 214 (suppl 3): S145-S152.

BackgroundEbola viruses (EBOVs) are primarily transmitted by contact with infected body fluids. Ebola treatment centers (ETCs) contain areas that are exposed to body fluids through the care of patients suspected or confirmed to have EBOV disease. There are limited data documenting which areas/fomites within ETCs pose a risk for potential transmission. This study conducted environmental surveillance in 2 ETCs in Freetown, Sierra Leone, during the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak.MethodsETCs were surveyed over a 3-week period. Sites to be swabbed were identified with input from field personnel. Swab samples were collected and tested for the presence of EBOV RNA. Ebola-positive body fluid-impregnated cotton pads were serially sampled.ResultsGeneral areas of both ETCs were negative for EBOV RNA. The immediate vicinity of patients was the area most likely to be positive for EBOV RNA. Personal protective equipment became positive during patient care, but chlorine solution washes rendered them negative.ConclusionsPersonal protective equipment and patient environs do become positive for EBOV RNA, but careful attention to decontamination seems to remove it. EBOV RNA was not detected in general ward spaces. Careful attention to decontamination protocols seems to be important in minimizing the presence of EBOV RNA within ETC wards.© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

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