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Karuhije J, Nkeshimana M, Zakham F, Hewins B, Rutayisire J, Martinez GS, Kelvin D, Ndishimye P. Understanding knowledge, attitudes and practices on Ebola Virus Disease: a multi-site mixed methods survey on preparedness in Rwanda. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2417. [PMID: 38053102 PMCID: PMC10696806 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17251-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The overall goal of this survey was to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Rwanda. METHODS This mixed-method cross-sectional survey was conducted in five selected districts of Rwanda. Quantitative data were collected from 1,010 participants using Kobo Collect Software and the analysis was performed using SPSS and Python software. Qualitative data were specifically collected from 98 participants through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussion (FGDs). Interview transcripts were imported into NVIVO 8 for coding and subsequent analysis. RESULTS As per our quantitative findings, we report that from the 1,010 respondents, 99.6% reported having previously heard of Ebola, 97.2% believed that vaccination is important in combatting the disease and 93.3% of individuals reported a willingness to receive vaccination should one become available. Around 54% of the respondents were correct in identifying that the disease is of a viral origin which originates from wild animals (42.1%). When asked if they believed that Rwanda is at risk of an EVD outbreak, 90% of the respondents believe that the country is at risk of an EVD outbreak, and the cofactors *gender* and *whether people dwell in Rubavu/Rusizi* were found to significantly impact their perception of threat. As per our qualitative findings, the respondents mentioned that both geographical proximity and relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo place Rwanda at risk of developing an internal outbreak. Although the respondents seemed to be aware of the Ebola prevention behaviours, it was noted that some of them will require significant time before reintegrating into the community an EVD survivor, as they will first need assurance that the patient has fully recovered. Therefore, the qualitative findings reinforce what we originally reported in the quantitative approach to this study. CONCLUSION Our results show that there was high EVD-related knowledge and awareness among the general population in Rwanda. However, for strong public health awareness, preparedness, and protection, a massive investment should always be made in education about EVD with a special focus on districts neighboring countries where the disease is consistently being reported.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fathiah Zakham
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Benjamin Hewins
- Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology (CCfV), Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | - Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez
- Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology (CCfV), Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - David Kelvin
- Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology (CCfV), Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Pacifique Ndishimye
- Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
- Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Center, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology (CCfV), Halifax, NS, Canada.
- African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kigali, Rwanda.
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Fossouo VN, Mouiche MMM, Labat A, Wango RK, Tiwoda C, Tonga C, Ndongo CB, Kameni JMF, Nguefack-Tsague G, Djeunga HCN, Gnigninanjouena O, Njajou OT. Health Security Planning: Developing the Cameroon National Action Plan for Health Security. Health Secur 2022; 20:424-434. [DOI: 10.1089/hs.2022.0032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Ndoungué Fossouo
- Viviane Ndoungué Fossouo, MPH, is an Epidemiologist and Head of Section, IHR Implementation Program, National Public Health Observatory, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Mohamed Moctar Mouliom Mouiche
- Mohamed Moctar Mouliom Mouiche, DVM, PhD, is Country Team Lead, USAID Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance Project, ICF Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Mohamed Moctar Mouliom Mouiche is also an Associate Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Aline Labat
- Aline Labat, MPH, is a Researcher and Lecturer, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Roland Kimbi Wango
- Roland Kimbi Wango, MA, MPH, is a Technical Officer, Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme, World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Dakar Hub, Senegal
| | - Christie Tiwoda
- Christie Tiwoda is an Assistant Program Officer, Regulatory Unit, Legal Affairs and Litigation Division, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Calvin Tonga
- Calvin Tonga, PhD, MSc, MPH, is Head of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Expanded Programme on Immunization, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Chancelline Bilounga Ndongo
- Chancelline Bilounga Ndongo, MD, MPH, is Head, Epidemiological Surveillance Service, Department of Disease Control, Epidemic, and Pandemics, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Chancelline Bilounga Ndongo is also a Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Jean Marc Feussom Kameni
- Jean Marc Feussom Kameni, DVM, CES, MSc, is a Veterinary Epidemiologist, Animal Disease Epidemiology Surveillance Network (RESCAM), Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Georges Nguefack-Tsague
- Georges Nguefack-Tsague, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Hugues C. Nana Djeunga
- Hugues C. Nana Djeunga, PhD, is a Research Scientist, Molecular Parasitology and Genetic Epidemiology Department, Centre for Research on Filariasis and Other Tropical Diseases, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Oumarou Gnigninanjouena
- Oumarou Gnigninanjouena, MD, MPH, is Coordinator, National Public Health Observatory, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Omer T. Njajou
- Omer T. Njajou, DSc, PhD, is an Epidemiologist, Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Program, DAI Global Health, London, UK
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Designing a novel multi‑epitope vaccine against Ebola virus using reverse vaccinology approach. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7757. [PMID: 35545650 PMCID: PMC9094136 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11851-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ebola virus (EBOV) is a dangerous zoonotic infectious disease. To date, more than 25 EBOV outbreaks have been documented, the majority of which have occurred in Central Africa. The rVSVG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine (ERVEBO), a live attenuated vaccine, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to combat EBOV. Because of the several drawbacks of live attenuated vaccines, multi-epitope vaccines probably appear to be safer than live attenuated vaccines. In this work, we employed immunoinformatics tools to design a multi-epitope vaccine against EBOV. We collected sequences of VP35, VP24, VP30, VP40, GP, and NP proteins from the NCBI database. T-cell and linear B-cell epitopes from target proteins were identified and tested for antigenicity, toxicity, allergenicity, and conservancy. The selected epitopes were then linked together in the vaccine's primary structure using appropriate linkers, and the 50S ribosomal L7/L12 (Locus RL7 MYCTU) sequence was added as an adjuvant to the vaccine construct's N-terminal. The physicochemical, antigenicity, and allergenicity parameters of the vaccine were all found to be satisfactory. The 3D model of the vaccine was predicted, refined, and validated. The vaccine construct had a stable and strong interaction with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) based on molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation (MD) analysis. The results of codon optimization and in silico cloning revealed that the proposed vaccine was highly expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The findings of this study are promising; however, experimental validations should be carried out to confirm these findings.
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Sivanandy P, Jun PH, Man LW, Wei NS, Mun NFK, Yii CAJ, Ying CCX. A systematic review of Ebola virus disease outbreaks and an analysis of the efficacy and safety of newer drugs approved for the treatment of Ebola virus disease by the US Food and Drug Administration from 2016 to 2020. J Infect Public Health 2022; 15:285-292. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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Abstract
In this review, we highlight the risk to livestock and humans from infections with henipaviruses, which belong to the virus family Paramyxoviridae. We provide a comprehensive overview of documented outbreaks of Nipah and Hendra virus infections affecting livestock and humans and assess the burden on the economy and health systems. In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, attention must be paid to emerging viruses and infectious diseases, as transmission routes can be rapid and worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susann Kummer
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Denise-Carina Kranz
- Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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