{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]],"date-time":"2026-09-20T10:40:30Z","timestamp":1789900830559,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,26]],"date-time":"2021-05-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1621987200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["TropicalMed"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: High compliance to infection prevention and control (IPC) is vital to prevent health care-associated infections. In the worst 2014\u20132015 Ebola-affected district in Sierra Leone (Kenema), we assessed (a) average yearly IPC compliance (2016\u20132018) using a National IPC assessment tool in the district hospital and peripheral health units (PHUs), and (b) gaps in IPC activities, infrastructure and consumables in 2018. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using secondary program data. Results: At the district hospital, compliance increased from 69% in 2016 to 73% in 2018 (expected minimal threshold = 70%; desired threshold \u2265 85%). Compliance for screening\/isolation facilities and decontamination of medical equipment reached 100% in 2018. The two thematic areas with the lowest compliance were sanitation (44%) and sharps safety (56%). In PHUs (2018), the minimal 70% compliance threshold was not achieved in two (of 10 thematic areas) for Community Health Centers, four for Community Health Posts, and five for Maternal and Child Health Units. The lowest compliance was for screening and isolation facilities (range: 33\u201353%). Conclusion: This baseline assessment is an eye opener of what is working and what is not, and can be used to galvanize political, financial, and material resources to bridge the existing gaps.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/tropicalmed6020089","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,26]],"date-time":"2021-05-26T21:56:44Z","timestamp":1622066204000},"page":"89","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Gaps in Infection Prevention and Control in Public Health Facilities of Sierra Leone after the 2014\u20132015 Ebola Outbreak"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8593-7972","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"James Sylvester","family":"Squire","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Directorate of Health Security and Emergencies, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, P.O. Box 529 Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Imurana","family":"Conteh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Directorate of Health Security and Emergencies, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, P.O. Box 529 Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arpine","family":"Abrahamya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TB Research and Prevention Center, Yerevan 0014, Armenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Maruta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization, P.O. Box 529 Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruzanna","family":"Grigoryan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TB Research and Prevention Center, Yerevan 0014, Armenia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hannock","family":"Tweya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 75000 Paris, France"},{"name":"The Lighthouse Trust, P.O. Box 106 Lilongwe, Malawi"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Collins","family":"Timire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 75000 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4913-6270","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katrina","family":"Hann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sustainable Health Systems, P.O. Box 529 Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2915-9328","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rony","family":"Zachariah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, WHO, Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed Alex","family":"Vandi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Directorate of Health Security and Emergencies, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, P.O. Box 529 Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2021, March 02). The Burden of Health Care-Associated Infection Worldwide. 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