Serologic survey among hospital and health center workers during the Ebolahemorrhagic fever outbreak in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1995

From May to July 1995, a serologic and interview survey was conducted to de scribe Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) among personnel working in 5 hospitals and 26 health care centers in and around Kikwit, Democratic Republic of th e Congo. Job-specific attack rates estimated for Kikwit General Hospital, t he epicenter of the EHF epidemic, were 31% for physicians, 11% for technici ans/room attendants, 10% for nurses, and 4% for other workers. Among 402 wo rkers who did not meet the EHF case definition, 12 had borderline positive antibody test results; subsequent specimens from 4 of these tested negative . although an old infection with persistent Ebola antibody production or a recent atypical or asymptomatic infection cannot be ruled out, if they occu r at all, they appear to be rare. This survey demonstrated that opportuniti es for transmission of Ebola virus to personnel in health facilities existe d in Kikwit because blood and body fluid precautions were not being univers ally followed.