Emerging infectious diseases
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Emerging Infect. Dis. · Apr 2015
Historical ArticleEvolution of ebola virus disease from exotic infection to global health priority, Liberia, mid-2014.
Over the span of a few weeks during July and August 2014, events in West Africa changed perceptions of Ebola virus disease (EVD) from an exotic tropical disease to a priority for global health security. We describe observations during that time of a field team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and personnel of the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. We outline the early epidemiology of EVD within Liberia, including the practical limitations on surveillance and the effect on the country's health care system, such as infections among health care workers. During this time, priorities included strengthening EVD surveillance; establishing safe settings for EVD patient care (and considering alternative isolation and care models when Ebola Treatment Units were overwhelmed); improving infection control practices; establishing an incident management system; and working with Liberian airport authorities to implement EVD screening of departing passengers.
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Emerging Infect. Dis. · Apr 2015
Lack of middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus transmission from infected camels.
To determine risk for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus transmission from camels to humans, we tested serum from 191 persons with various levels of exposure to an infected dromedary herd. We found no serologic evidence of human infection, suggesting that zoonotic transmission of this virus from dromedaries is rare.
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Emerging Infect. Dis. · Apr 2015
Letter Historical ArticleChikungunya outbreak, French Polynesia, 2014.