Viral haemorrhagic fevers question bank: Qualitative questions for understanding transmission dynamics and experiences of care

Viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of severe illnesses caused by viruses that affect multiple organ systems and damage the cardiovascular system. VHFs include Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease. There is wide variation in how VHFs are diagnosed, how pathogenic they are, their geographic distribution, their known reservoirs (i.e., animals or insects that spread the disease) and the availability of vaccines or treatments. When using this Question Bank for a specific public health emergency in connection with an identified VHF, consider these factors in addition to an updated country context analysis and the clinical progression of disease among at-risk populations.

The development of this Question Bank has been based on over 10 years of extensive social science research conducted during outbreaks of VHFs and other public health emergencies involving infectious diseases. Many of the thematic areas covered by this Question Bank will be relevant to outbreaks of VHFs where person-to-person transmission has been identified as a significant contributor to the spread of the outbreak and where patient experiences of care must be understood for a community-centred response. The questions must be adapted for the specific VHF, the country context and the respondent population.