Cori, Anne, Donnelly, Christl A, Dorigatti, Ilaria, Ferguson, Neil M, Fraser, Christophe, Garske, Tini, Jombart, Thibaut, Nedjati-Gilani, Gemma, Nouvellet, Pierre, Riley, Steven, Van Kerkhove, Maria D, Mills, Harriet L and Blake, Isobel M (2017) Key data for outbreak evaluation: building on the Ebola experience. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 372 (1721). p. 20160371. ISSN 0962-8436

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (552kB)

Abstract

Following the detection of an infectious disease outbreak, rapid epidemiological assessment is critical for guiding an effective public health response. To understand the transmission dynamics and potential impact of an outbreak, several types of data are necessary. Here we build on experience gained in the West African Ebola epidemic and prior emerging infectious disease outbreaks to set out a checklist of data needed to: (1) quantify severity and transmissibility; (2) characterize heterogeneities in transmission and their determinants; and (3) assess the effectiveness of different interventions. We differentiate data needs into individual-level data (e.g. a detailed list of reported cases), exposure data (e.g. identifying where/how cases may have been infected) and population-level data (e.g. size/demographics of the population(s) affected and when/where interventions were implemented). A remarkable amount of individual-level and exposure data was collected during the West African Ebola epidemic, which allowed the assessment of (1) and (2). However, gaps in population-level data (particularly around which interventions were applied when and where) posed challenges to the assessment of (3). Here we highlight recurrent data issues, give practical suggestions for addressing these issues and discuss priorities for improvements in data collection in future outbreaks.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Life Sciences > Evolution, Behaviour and Environment
Depositing User:	Pierre Nouvellet
Date Deposited:	17 Aug 2018 08:54
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2019 14:49
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/77896

View download statistics for this item

📧 Request an update