Post Ebola syndrome, and choice of search terms

On the BBC news recently was an interview with a survivor of Ebola, which made reference to "post Ebola syndrome".  A search of the web finds a lot of news items mentioning this term, a short Wikipedia page and an article from Medecins Sans Frontieres.  According to that MSF article, joint pain, eye problems and depression, among other things, can follow Ebola.

Another item found by a web search for "post Ebola syndrome" is this blog post on the H5N1 blog. It refers to an editorial in Lancet Infectious Diseases (the link in the blog post goes to the Lancet but here is the PubMed record):

Sequelae after Ebola virus disease: even when it's over it's not over.

Bausch DG.

Lancet Infect Dis. 2015 Apr 21. pii: S1473-3099(15)70165-9. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(15)70165-9.
PMID: 25910638

A search of PubMed for post ebola syndrome finds only 6 items, which are perhaps not the most relevant.  A search for ebola sequelae, taking the hint from this editorial, finds 89.   Among them is this, which is mentioned in that blog post:

Long-term sequelae after Ebola virus disease in Bundibugyo, Uganda: a retrospective cohort study.

Clark DV, Kibuuka H, Millard M, Wakabi S, Lukwago L, Taylor A, Eller MA, Eller LA, Michael NL, Honko AN, Olinger GG Jr, Schoepp RJ, Hepburn MJ, Hensley LE, Robb ML.

Lancet Infect Dis. 2015 Apr 21. pii: S1473-3099(15)70152-0. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(15)70152-0.
PMID: 25910637

PubMed's Automatic Term Mapping maps post ebola syndrome to both relevant MeSH terms, virus and disease.  Searching for ebola sequelae does the same, but also to the subheading Complications.   This can be applied to the disease heading (Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola), and effectively is a floating subheading with the virus heading (Ebolavirus).  Adding complications to the search (ebola (complications OR sequelae)) finds 89 as well.

However, using MeSH alone would find neither item from Lancet Infectious Diseases, as neither has been indexed yet. 

 

So, the literature searching lessons here - try alternative terms, try to identify the ones that are used in the medical literature and not just ones used in the general media, and try to find terms that make best use of PubMed's Automatic Term Mapping.  

Updates

A long time has passed since the last post, longer than ought to happen on a blog, but here goes...

Translators without Borders has funding to extend a project to produce Ebola information in local languages, to more west African languages.  Thanks to the excellent HIFA2015 list for this information.

Avian influenza in the Netherlands - De Volkskrant reported yesterday cases in Niedersachsen, Germany, which borders the Netherlands.  It is H5N8.   The Dutch government is maintaining its English language page, which seems not to have any new cases in the country, but which has added information about adjusted government measures.

Could I get Ebola?

I had already seen this Top 10 things you really need to know about Ebola from the CDC in the United States.  I was in two minds whether to blog about it, as some of the points it makes apply to the USA.  But, of course, the basic medical science applies everywhere.   And also, of course, you the reader might well be in the USA!

I mention it now because last night the BBC broadcast a television programme called "Could I get Ebola?", looking at how likely it is to spread to and  in the UK.  That programme has a similar approach to the CDC poster.  There are links from this iPlayer site to further resources from the BBC and elsewhere.  The programme presenter, Dr Chris van Tulleken, works at one of the hospitals that will receive Ebola cases and has been trained in the management of Ebola.

The basic conclusion of both is that, if you are in the UK or USA, the chances of catching Ebola are very very small and it is very very unlikely that you will catch it.  

The BBC have a regular News about Ebola slot - in addition to World Service radio programme, this also includes downloadable podcasts.

Ebola update - two being tested in the UK

The Guardian is reporting in not a lot of detail that two children are being tested in Newcastle upon Tyne for Ebola and malaria, as a precautionary measure.  They have arrived from Africa but it is not clear where, and Public Health England are of the opinion that Ebola is very unlikely.

The Guardian is also reporting that trials of a vaccine look promising, according to the manufacturer.

Here might be a good time and place to mention the BMJ's news piece from a few weeks ago reminding NHS staff to be on the lookout for Ebola.  The news item refers to a BMJ letter from Bruce Keogh.  Access to the BMJ's content about Ebola is currently free.

Avian influenza and Ebola update

Avian influenza has been found at a second and third location in the Netherlands:

The second is in Ter Aar - Guardian
The third is in Kamperveen, confirmed as H5N8 - De Volkskrant (in Dutch)

De Volkskrant is also reporting a new case of Ebola in Mali, and has a graphic showing the present situation.  The captions are of course in Dutch, and English language alternatives for current statistics are CDC and WHO.  The CDC site has a graphic on the right.

More resources about Ebola

The BMJ has made all its Ebola resources available free of charge, and these include guidance for healthcare workers, a clinical guide, a video guide, patient information, and all BMJ articles relating to the virus.

And via an article in International Nursing Review, I discovered the Madrid Declaration, arising from an international summit on "Nursing and the Ebola Virus".  The Declaration calls for particular action from governments, and agrees a course of action for the profession.  Those present at the meeting included the International Council of Nursing, several Spanish organisations, expert nurses in the care of Ebola patients, and Medecins Sans Frontieres.

Ebola resources

I am planning to resurrect this blog, and here is the first post for some years!

The September 2014 issue of the Health Libraries Group Newsletter contains a list of internet resources concerning the Ebola virus.  You can see the column here.

I have checked the links for the December issue (in preparation), making any changes, and added some new sites including some in French.

I will update this post when the next issue is published.