Evaluating the risk of conflict on recent Ebola outbreaks in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Reducing Ebola virus transmission relies on the ability to identify cases and limit contact with infected bodily fluids through biosecurity, safe sex practices, safe burial and vaccination. Armed conflicts can complicate outbreak detection and interventions due to widespread disruption to governments and populations. Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have historically reported the largest and the most recent Ebola virus outbreaks. Understanding if conflict played a role in these outbreaks may help in identifying key risks factors to improve disease control.

Methods

We used data from a range of publicly available data sources for both Ebola virus cases and conflict events from 2018 to 2021 in Guinea and the DRC. We fitted these data to condition

SUBMITTER: Charnley GEC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10953285 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature