{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T23:56:08Z","timestamp":1787961368173,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000278","name":"Department for International Development","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["204838-106"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["204838-106"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000278","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Glob Health"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2016,4,27]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The 2014-2015 West African outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people and infected over 27,000 across seven countries. Traditional approaches to containing EVD proved inadequate and new approaches for controlling the outbreak were required. The Ministry of Health &amp; Sanitation and King\u2019s Sierra Leone Partnership developed a model for Ebola Holding Units (EHUs) at Government Hospitals in the capital city Freetown. The EHUs isolated screened or referred suspect patients, provided initial clinical care, undertook laboratory testing to confirm EVD status, referred onward positive cases to an Ebola Treatment Centre or negative cases to the general wards, and safely stored corpses pending collection by burial teams. Between 29th May 2014 and 19th January 2015, our five units had isolated approximately 37% (1159) of the 3097 confirmed cases within Western Urban and Rural district. Nosocomial transmission of EVD within the units appears lower than previously documented at other facilities and staff infection rates were also low. We found that EHUs are a flexible and effective model of rapid diagnosis, safe isolation and early initial treatment. We also demonstrated that it is possible for international partners and government facilities to collaborate closely during a humanitarian crisis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjgh-2016-000030","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,10]],"date-time":"2016-06-10T22:34:09Z","timestamp":1465598049000},"page":"e000030","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":30,"title":["Ebola Holding Units at government hospitals in Sierra Leone: evidence for a flexible and effective model for safe isolation, early treatment initiation, hospital safety and health system functioning"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"1","author":[{"given":"Oliver","family":"Johnson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Youkee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Colin S","family":"Brown","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"},{"name":"Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London Hospitals, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Lado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alie","family":"Wurie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Health & Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Donald","family":"Bash-Taqi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Health & Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andy","family":"Hall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eva","family":"Hanciles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Connaught Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isata","family":"Kamara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Connaught Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cecilia","family":"Kamara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Connaught Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amardeep","family":"Kamboz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed","family":"Seedat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Suzanne","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"T B","family":"Kamara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Connaught Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrew J M","family":"Leather","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership, King's Centre for Global Health, King's College London & King's Health Partners, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brima","family":"Kargbo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Health & Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. WHO Situation Report 15\/07\/15 . Geneva: WHO, 2015."},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1259657"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"491","DOI":"10.1016\/j.medmal.2014.09.009","article-title":"Ebola outbreak in Conakry, Guinea: epidemiological, clinical, and outcome features","volume":"44","author":"Barry","year":"2014","journal-title":"M\u00e9decine Mal Infect"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1411680"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"587","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMc1413685","article-title":"Ebola in Freetown Area, Sierra Leone\u2014a case study of 581 patients","volume":"372","author":"Ansumana","year":"2014","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.6","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks Chronology: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever [Internet]. http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vhf\/ebola\/resources\/outbreak-table.html (accessed 4 Nov 2015)."},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMp1409494"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/postgradmedj-2014-133068"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"pii 20899","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES2014.19.36.20899","article-title":"Containing Ebola virus infection in West Africa","volume":"19","author":"Kucharski","year":"2014","journal-title":"Euro Surveill"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhin.2012.10.013"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(15)70124-6"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.12","unstructured":"World Health Organisation. Health worker Ebola infections in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Geneva: WHO, 2015."},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(15)60755-3"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.14","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. Infection control for viral haemorrhagic fevers in the African health care setting. Atlanta: CDC, 1998."},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"World Health Organization. WHO recommended guidelines for epidemic preparedness and response: Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF). Geneva: WHO, 1997. doi:10.1155\/2015\/460925","DOI":"10.1155\/2015\/460925"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.16","unstructured":"King's Sierra Leone Partnership. King's Sierra Leone partnership Ebola holding units standard operating procedure. Freetown: KSLP, 2014."},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.17","unstructured":"National Ebola Response Centre. National Ebola response centre report\u201419th January 2015. Freetown: MOHS, 2015."},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(15)00137-1"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20924","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES2014.19.40.20924","article-title":"Describing readmissions to an Ebola case management centre (CMC), Sierra Leone, 2014","volume":"19","author":"Fitzpatrick","year":"2014","journal-title":"Euro Surveill"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1508814112"},{"key":"2025072914425828000_1.1.e000030.21","unstructured":"Ministry of Health and Sanitation and Government of Sierra Leone. Western Area Ebola Response Centre Daily Live Case Management Reports . Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown; 1st September 2014 to 31st December 2014."}],"container-title":["BMJ Global Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/bmjgh-2016-000030","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,29]],"date-time":"2025-07-29T21:44:13Z","timestamp":1753825453000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/gh.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/bmjgh-2016-000030"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2016,6]]},"references-count":21,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,6]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/bmjgh-2016-000030"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bmjgh-2016-000030","relation":{},"ISSN":["2059-7908"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2059-7908","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2016,6]]}}}