Headlines - Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in West Africa – Update as of August 5, 2014

With 1,603 cases and 887 deaths reported (observed case fatality rate of 55%), the current Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak is unprecedented in terms of the number of reported cases, its geographic scope (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria), and confirmed transmission in urban areas. The risk of the Ebola virus being imported via travelers into the European Union or France is very low but cannot be completely ruled out. Any suspected case must be reported to the Centre 15 for classification (ruled out or possible, in coordination with the InVS and the ARS) and managed as soon as possible. Any hospitalization of a suspected or possible case must trigger the mobilization of the facility’s operational hygiene team. A suspected case is defined as any person presenting, within 21 days of returning from a risk area, with a fever of 38.5°C or higher. The individual must be isolated and wear a surgical mask; contact with healthcare workers—who must be protected—and blood sampling must be limited to the absolute minimum. In this situation, the management of a suspected case—especially if there are signs of severity—must consider a diagnosis of tropical diseases endemic to the risk area (malaria, Lassa fever, yellow fever, etc.) or other cosmopolitan diseases. If applicable, the patient must be managed in a healthcare facility equipped with an L3-level laboratory (formerly P3).A possible case is a suspected case (1) for which confirmed risk exposure has been established within 21 days prior to symptom onset, or (2) that presents with a severe clinical presentation consistent with Ebola virus disease without the possibility of assessing risk exposures. Biological confirmation must be performed by the National Reference Center for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) (results expected within 12 hours). Management must take place at the designated healthcare facility in the defense zone. The patient must be transferred via the SAMU-Centre 15 dispatch system, implementing the hygiene measures described in the advisory from the High Council of Public Health.