A mixed-methods analysis of personal protective equipment used in Lassa fever treatment centres in Nigeria.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Lassa fever (LF) is a viral haemorrhagic fever endemic in West Africa. Lassa virus is maintained in and spread to humans from rodents, with occasional secondary human-to-human transmission. Present recommendations for personal protective equipment (PPE) for care of patients with LF generally follow those for filovirus diseases. However, the need for such high-level PPE for LF, which is thought to be considerably less transmissible between humans than filoviruses, is unclear.

Aim

In Nigerian Lassa Treatment Centres (LTCs) we aimed to describe current PPE practices, identify barriers and facilitators to implementation of existing guidance, and assess healthcare workers' understanding. This would inform the development of future PPE guidelines for LF.

Methods

SUBMITTER: Holt A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8367797 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature