An Outbreak of Hemorrhagic Fever in Africa

Case Study Title
An Outbreak of Hemorrhagic Fever in Africa

Setting
Bumba Zone, Northern Zaire (tropical rain forest)

Type of Agent
Biological

Specific Agent
Ebola virus (viral infection; previously unidentified)

Modes of Transmission
Person-to-person contact

Competencies Addressed
Outbreak investigation

Source
Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine

Learning Objectives

1. List the criteria for deciding whether a field investigation is warranted
2. Describe the key tasks involved in investigating an epidemic of unknown cause, and, given a real outbreak, perform each step
3. Describe the components of a case definition, and develop a case definition for a new disease
4. Given the appropriate data, perform descriptive epidemiologic analysis and explain the importance of this step

Student Manual

• View Student Manual (Microsoft Word Document)