Brief report
Ebola infection control in Sierra Leonean health clinics: A large cross-agency cooperative project

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2015.03.011Get rights and content

The Ebola virus disease outbreak occurring in West Africa has resulted in at least 199 cases of Ebola in Sierra Leonean health care workers, many as a result of transmission occurring in health facilities. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone recognized that improvements in infection prevention and control (IPC) were necessary at all levels of health care delivery. To this end, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Nations Children's Fund, and multiple nongovernmental organizations implemented a national IPC training program in 1,200 peripheral health units (PHUs) in Sierra Leone. A tiered training of trainers program was used. Trainers conducted multiday trainings at PHUs and coordinated the delivery of personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns, masks, boots) and infection control supplies (chlorine, buckets, disposable rags, etc) to all PHU staff. Under the ongoing project, 4,264 health workers have already been trained, and 98% of PHUs have received their first shipment of supplies.

Section snippets

Project description

The MOHS partnered with a coalition of NGOs, called the ERC, UNICEF, and CDC to support IPC, perform EVD surveillance, and continue health care services at all PHU facilities in the nation. The ERC is led by the International Rescue Committee and is comprised of 9 other international NGOs with established health care activities in Sierra Leone: Action Contre la Faim, CARE International, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, International Rescue Committee, King's Sierra Leone Partnership, Marie Stopes

Conclusion

This project represents the first major nationwide program led by the Sierra Leone MOHS to address infection control in health care facilities. It was implemented by multiple cooperating governmental and nongovernmental agencies. This type of centralized, standardized program may be a path forward toward enhanced interagency coordination during the Ebola outbreak response.

An illustrative example of early program success occurred when 8 sick family members, 7 of whom were children, presented to

Acknowledgments

We thank the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation; the Ebola Response Consortium: Action Contre la Faime, Care International, Concern Worldwide, GOAL, International Rescue Committee, King's Sierra Leone Partnership, Marie Stopes International, Medecins du Monde, and Save the Children; and the CDC Sierra Leone Field Team. We also thank the brave health workers staffing peripheral health units in Sierra Leone.

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Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Conflicts of interest: None to report.

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