Alumnus David Blackley Reports on Decreased Ebola Transmissions in Liberia
Alumnus David Blackley has co-authored a report with a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the impact of the CDCs rapid response efforts on controlling the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
The current Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic, still going on in West Africa is the largest in history with over 27,000 case reported since it was detected in Guinea in March 2014. Person-to-person transmission typically occurs through close contact with the blood or body fluids of a symptomatic infected person during care at home or in health care facilities or during traditional funeral rites. Transmission of the virus can be reduced by isolation of patients, implementing infection control procedures while providing patient care, and avoiding direct contact with recently deceased persons.
As part of the CDC interventions, people showing symptoms of Ebola were immediately isolated (through self-isolation in the home or transfer to an Ebola treatment unit (ETU)), and their contacts were identified and monitored. Other interventions provided to the affected communities included promotion of Ebola prevention messages and training in safe and hygienic burials.
The team found a 94% decrease in Ebola transmission after initiation of community interventions in nine outbreaks in remote rural areas of Liberia during AugustDecember 2014. Isolation and treatment of case-patients in an ETU was associated with a 90% lower risk for secondary cases than those who died in the community and with a 50% lower risk for death than those not admitted to an ETU. Liberia was declared free of Ebola on May 9, 2015; however, new confirmed cases were identified in JuneJuly 2015. Based on the data from the observations, the team concludes that when capacity for isolation and treatment of Ebola is sufficient, rapid response strategies in remote areas have the dual benefit of contributing to interruption of transmission and improving survival rates through treatment at ETUs. Provided basic interventions are implemented and communities are accepting, outbreaks of Ebola in rural areas can be controlled rapidly.
David Blackley received a Doctor of Public Health degree from East Tennessee State University in May 2013. He then began a two-year postdoctoral fellowship with the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. He is assigned to the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health which is based in Morgantown, West Virginia. When asked about his time in the College of Public Health, he replied, During my time at ETSU, mentors gave me lots of autonomy but held my work to high standards -- this helped me develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing skills that I use every day as an EIS officer.