GOARN Request for Assistance: Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa

Transcription

1 GOARN Request for Assistance: Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa Date: 19 June 2015 Country: Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia WHO Region: Africa (AFR) Classification: Restricted not to be disseminated outside GOARN partners. Situation update The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone will require continuing support at the national and sub-national levels to achieve the goal of getting to zero cases. As of 14 June 2015 there have been a total for 27,305 cases and 11,168 deaths recorded. In April and early May there was a decline in case incidence and a contraction of the geographic area affected by EVD. However this trend has stalled and we are now seeing an increase in new cases. For the week ending 7 June there were 31 confirmed cases of EVD reported (16 cases in Guinea and 15 in Sierra Leone). This was the second consecutive weekly increase in case incidence and the highest weekly total number of cases reported from Sierra Leone since late March. For the week ending 14 June there were 24 new cases (10 in Guinea and 14 in Sierra Leone). Most new cases in the last 3 weeks are being reported from the border area between in Guinea (Forecariah) and Sierra Leone (Kambia). Other areas of transmission in Guinea are Boké and Kamsar in the north, Tanene sub-prefecture in Dubreka and Kindia prefecture. Of particular concern is that at least 2 cases exposed in these areas had travelled to suburban areas of Conakry (Matoto and Matam) where they had onset of symptoms. In Sierra Leone, Kaffu Bullom and Tagrin near the international airport in Port Loko district are also areas of active transmission (see map). There are continued occurrence of cases that arise from unknown sources of infection highlights the challenges still faced in finding and eliminating every chain of transmission. Liberia has been officially Ebola free since 9 th May 2015 (42 days since the last known case) and the focus is now on maintaining preparedness for introduction of new cases. Engaging effectively with communities has been one of the keys to successfully driving

2 cases to zero but continues to present a challenge in several areas, with increases in security incidents related to the Ebola response in the most affected communities. Situation reports and other information for each country are available on the WHO Ebola website and Figure 1 - Chiefdom/ward level activity 25 May to 14 June 2015 (Weeks 22, 23, 24) Source: World Health Organization Ebola Datapack

3 OUTBREAK RESPONSE The Ministries of Health in the affected countries have been responding to the outbreak in collaboration with WHO and GOARN partners since the onset of the outbreak in March WHO and GOARN partners have been directly involved in field operations, and have been providing continuous support to the response in critical areas, including mobile field laboratories, field epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Control, social mobilisation and anthropology, data management, clinical management of cases, communications and outbreak response logistics. As of June 2015, GOARN has deployed over 820 experts for Ebola. There are currently nearly 100 GOARN experts in the field, 51 in Guinea, 32 in Sierra Leone, 14 in Liberia and 2 at HQ. WHO acknowledges this important and valuable contribution GOARN partners and their staff have made to the response. Sierra Leone Northern Push Last week the President of Sierra Leone declared Operation Northern Push which will accelerate the Ebola programme in Kambia and Port Loko. This programme includes Event-Based Management: each transmission chain/flare will be treated as an 'event', to manage cases, contacts, missing contacts, probable cases, unsafe burial etc. together. Expanded Case Investigation/Contact Identification: Many of the missing and escaped contacts are 1 st degree family relatives of the cases, so case investigation/contact identification will firstly ensure the classic contact listing and monitoring is strictly followed and secondly, identify and monitor the entire extended family. Enhanced Contact Monitoring/Tracking: There are simultaneous efforts to improve quarantine conditions and incentivisation so that contacts who develop symptoms can be rapidly identified and appropriately managed. Targeted Active Surveillance: In addition to the current active searches in the area of a case, the programme will establish a broad perimeter of villages, based on geography and connections, for active surveillance involving key informants (village chief, Imam, elders/women, traditional healer, PHU) at least semi-weekly visits for days. These and related activities will require additional national and international capacity beginning immediately. Guinea In Guinea, His Excellency Alfa Condé has declared a number of interventions to control the outbreak. Emergency public health measures will be reinforced and prolonged. All health facilities where cases have recently been identified will be temporarily closed, as will those not applying appropriate IPC measures.

4 Law enforcement regulations have been toughened to allow prosecution of noncompliant individuals as well as restricting movement. Regulations around community deaths have also been reinforced, to require systematic sampling of all deaths and measures concerning funeral ceremonies. Successful implementations of control measures will rely on enhanced integration of anthropologists and community engagement specialists in all activities. Especially, the strategy for efficient contact identification and monitoring is critical. Currently, many cases are still occurring outside identified contacts and/or known chains of transmission or diagnosed only postmortem. Enhancement of investigation, contact identification and monitoring as well as description of chains of transmission remains the priorities to effectively control the outbreak. GoData a tool to assist field level management of contact tracing and chains of transmission, will require dedicated support in selected areas of Guinea to enhance control efforts. Liberia Liberia is official declared Ebola free. Consequently priorities are to support national efforts to maintain surveillance and rapid response capabilities, as well as data management. GOARN Request for Assistance In light of the complex challenges to end this outbreak and the recent upswing in cases in Sierra Leone and Guinea, GOARN is issuing this further request for assistance (RFA) to support both Operation Northern Push in Sierra Leone and similar increased efforts in Guinea to ensure enhanced coordination, surveillance and contact tracing. Response activities are expected to continue for at least the next 3 months. We are requesting the assistance of GOARN partners to urgently identify suitable experts for deployment to these affected countries in West Africa, in the following areas: 1. Experienced operations coordinator (1) 2. Experienced field coordinators (3) 3. Experienced field epidemiologists (10) Terms of reference: See attached

5 Submit an offer of support Please submit initial offers of support to with the initial information: Completed GOARN biodata (see attached) CV of candidate(s), clearly describing previous relevant field experience Applications and expressions of interest from GOARN partners and networks in Africa are particularly important. Security Security updates will be provided for each deployment as necessary. Support to the mission As usual, WHO/GOARN will cover the travel and per diem (to cover daily expense in the field) expenses for the duration of their mission. GOARN missions do not normally offer salary, consultancy fees or any other form of remuneration. Given the exceptional circumstances of this protracted response, experts who have already been to the affected countries during this outbreak are especially encouraged to reapply. GOARN may be able to support salary for returnees who are available for periods longer than 6 weeks. WHO will provide appropriate logistics support for the field mission. WHO and the GOARN Operational Support Team (OST) would like to express gratitude and thank all the GOARN partners that have provided support since the start of this outbreak. Operational contacts WHO HQ Pat Drury druryp@who.int WHO AFRO Soce Fall socef@who.int GOARN Secretariat goarn@who.int

6 TORs OPERATIONS COORDINATOR The Operations Coordinator activates and supervises the field operations in accordance with the agreed technical strategies and operational plan and directs its execution. The Operations Coordinator also determines resource requirement, develops resource plans, requests or releases resources, makes expedient changes to plans, as necessary; and reports such to the Ebola Emergency Coordinator. The major responsibilities of the Operations Coordinator are: Direct and manage field operations in accordance with the agreed technical strategies and operational plan Determine resource requirements (personnel, supplies and equipment) and develop resource plan Request, assign and deploy resources in accordance with resource plan Brief, assign and supervise Field Coordinators and other field staff Ensure that assigned resources get to and from their assignments in a timely and orderly manner Ensure safety and security of all deployed resources Inform Resource Unit of resources deployed and status changes of resources assigned to the Field Teams Request additional resources to support response operations as required Assemble and disassemble rapid response team as needed assigned to the Operations Section. Coordinate the collection of field information through Field Coordinators and ensure field reports are prepared and submitted on time Monitor and inspect progress and propose changes to technical strategies and operational plan as necessary Educational Qualifications: Essential: Degree in medicine and/or Public Health. Experience: Essential: Minimum of 10 years international field experience, of which at least 5 in managing and coordinating health programs related to epidemic diseases Desirable: Degree or knowledge of emergency response relief operations. Skills and Competencies: Ability to prioritize, organize, manage and adapt management style according to need; Excellent communication and negotiation skills and ability to convene stakeholders and facilitate a policy process among UN, NGOs, national health authorities and donors; Producing results; Fostering integration and teamwork; In-depth knowledge of outbreak response and International Health Regulations Sound knowledge and experience in outbreak preparedness and response programs in Africa; Tact, discretion and diplomacy. Languages: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (Sierra Leone) Excellent knowledge of written and spoken French (Guinea) and a working knowledge of English

7 TORs - FIELD COORDINATOR In collaboration with the MOH, under the supervision of the WCO and the WHO outbreak response team leader, the candidate will carry out the following activities: Support outbreak investigation activities in affected areas. Identify and make contact with local partners involved in the response and existing coordination mechanisms, including Sub-National health authorities, international organizations and civil society. Hold regular coordination meetings with partners working at the Sub-National level, building when possible on existing coordination fora. Collect information from all partners on Who s Where, since and until When, doing What, and regularly report to the National coordinator for feeding into the database managed by WHO. Provide consolidated feedback to all partners. Assess and monitor the response activities related to outbreak in line with the operational plan including contact tracing, surveillance, social mobilization, case management & IPC, laboratory, communication and information management Ensure that outbreak response needs (human resources, logistics, financial, security etc) are identified by planning and jointly coordinating with partners rapid assessments Establish daily contact mechanisms with each affected area (hotspot) to monitor the situation and facilitate implementation of required actions. Summarize and provide daily updates to the National Technical Coordinator using a standard reporting template and ensure follow of agreed actions. Promote adherence of standards and best practices by all response personnel taking into account the need for local adaptation. Promote use of the available response guidelines to ensure the application of common approaches, tools and standards. Identify urgent training needs. Educational Qualifications: Essential: Degree in medicine and/or Public Health. Experience: Essential: Minimum of 7 years international field experience, of which at least 3 in managing and coordinating health programs related to epidemic diseases Desirable: Degree or knowledge of emergency response relief operations. Skills and Competencies: Ability to prioritize, organize, manage and adapt management style according to need; Excellent communication and negotiation skills and ability to convene stakeholders and facilitate a policy process among UN, NGOs, national health authorities and donors; Producing results; Fostering integration and teamwork; In-depth knowledge of outbreak response and International Health Regulations Sound knowledge and experience in outbreak preparedness and response programs in Africa; Tact, discretion and diplomacy. Languages: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (Sierra Leone) Excellent knowledge of written and spoken French (Guinea) and a working knowledge of English

8 TORs - FIELD EPIDEMIOLOGIST In collaboration with the MOH, under the supervision of the WCO and the WHO outbreak response team leader, the candidate will carry out the following activities: Conduct a risk assessment and identify high risk groups; Coordinate surveillance activities in the affected district and neighboring districts. Establish / strengthen active case finding and contact tracing in the community; Contribute to the training of health personnel and community sensitization; Coordinate outbreak data (cases, contacts, deaths, laboratory results, actions) management and dissemination; Prepare regular information products including daily situation reports on the evolution of the outbreak, ongoing and planned activities; Contribute in the sensitization of health care providers on outbreak prevention and control including case detection, and reporting process; Coordinate with ambulance and burial teams for transport of suspected cases, and burial of bodies; Contribute to field studies in epidemiology and surveillance. Educational Qualifications: Essential: Degree in medicine and/or postgraduate degree in epidemiology, mathematics, or statistics, with specialization in public health and studies in computer sciences. Desirable: Degree or knowledge of emergency response relief operations. Experience: Essential: At least seven years' hands-on experience in establishing and leading surveillance and monitoring projects, combined at national and international level, including experience in developing countries. Experience in international organizations or institutions in similar positions are desirable. Desirable: Experience in or knowledge of WHO mandate and goals in emergency or experience in UN organizations/agencies or international institutions, preferably in field projects activities. Skills and Competencies: Demonstrated knowledge of surveillance and monitoring systems related to emergency response relief operations, with skills in the field of epidemiological or statistical data collection, assessment, analysis and the evaluation and monitoring in a public health context. Ability to conceptualize and promote innovative strategies and policies. Ability to communicate and write in a clear and concise manner, and to develop effective guidelines. Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills complemented by ability to motivate and lead others, and to promote consensus. Tact, discretion and diplomacy. Languages: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (Sierra Leone) Excellent knowledge of written and spoken French (Guinea) and a working knowledge of English