Retrospective evaluation of control measures for contacts of patient with Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
After an imported case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever was reported in 2008 in the Netherlands, control measures to prevent transmission were implemented. To evaluate consequences of these measures, we administered a structured questionnaire to 130 contacts classified as either having high-risk or low-risk exposure to body fluids of the case-patient; 77 (59.2%) of 130 contacts responded. A total of 67 (87.0%) of 77 respondents agreed that temperature monitoring and reporting was necessary, significantly more often among high-risk than low-risk contacts (p<0.001). Strict compliance with daily temperature monitoring decreased from 80.5% (62/77) during week 1 to 66.2% (51/77) during week 3. Contacts expressed concern about development of Marburg hemorrhagic fever (58.4%, 45/77) and infecting a family member (40.2%, 31/77). High-risk contacts had significantly higher scores on psychological impact scales (p<0.001) during and after the monitoring period. Public health authorities should specifically address consequences of control measures on the daily life of contacts.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Aura
A
Timen
Leslie D
LD
Isken
Patricia
P
Willemse
Franchette
F
van den Berkmortel
Marion P G
MP
Koopmans
Danielle E C
DE
van Oudheusden
Chantal P
CP
Bleeker-Rovers
Annemarie E
AE
Brouwer
Richard P T M
RP
Grol
Marlies E J L
ME
Hulscher
Jaap T
JT
van Dissel
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D016358:Contact Tracing; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008379:Marburg Virus Disease / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult