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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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Laverack M, Tallmadge RL, Venugopalan R, Sheehan D, Ross S, Rustamov R, Frederici C, Potter KS, Elvinger F, Warnick LD, Koretzky GA, Lawlis R, Plocharczyk E, Diel DG. The Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory: A Model to High-Capacity Testing Hubs for Infectious Disease Emergency Response and Preparedness. Viruses 2023; 15:1555. [PMID: 37515241 PMCID: PMC10385863 DOI: 10.3390/v15071555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic posed major challenges to local, regional, and global economies and health systems, and fast clinical diagnostic workflows were urgently needed to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we describe the platform and workflow established at the Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL) for the high-throughput testing of clinical samples from the university and the surrounding community. This workflow enabled efficient and rapid detection and the successful control of SARS-CoV-2 infection on campus and its surrounding communities. Our cost-effective and fully automated workflow enabled the testing of over 8000 pooled samples per day and provided results for over 2 million samples. The automation of time- and effort-intensive sample processing steps such as accessioning and pooling increased laboratory efficiency. Customized software applications were developed to track and store samples, deconvolute positive pools, track and report results, and for workflow integration from sample receipt to result reporting. Additionally, quality control dashboards and turnaround-time tracking applications were built to monitor assay and laboratory performance. As infectious disease outbreaks pose a constant threat to both human and animal health, the highly effective workflow implemented at CCTL could be modeled to establish regional high-capacity testing hubs for infectious disease preparedness and emergency response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Laverack
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Rebecca L Tallmadge
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Roopa Venugopalan
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Daniel Sheehan
- Information Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Scott Ross
- Information Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Rahim Rustamov
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Casey Frederici
- Cayuga Medical Center, Cayuga Health System, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Kim S Potter
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - François Elvinger
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Lorin D Warnick
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Gary A Koretzky
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York City, NY 10065, USA
| | - Robert Lawlis
- Cayuga Medical Center, Cayuga Health System, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | | | - Diego G Diel
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC), College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell COVID-19 Testing Laboratory (CCTL), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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