The 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic in West Africa, especially in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, is the focus of the capstone project’s issue statement. Large numbers of lives were lost, public health initiatives and hospitals were interrupted, and the situation was made worse by cultural norms and customs (Rashid, 2017). The study aims to identify potential risk factors for developing EVD by analyzing secondary data collected by the Liberian Ministry of Health during the outbreak. This research will aid in preventing and managing future EVD epidemics by adding to the existing body of information by analyzing different risk variables associated with the disease. Age, gender, county of residence, funeral attendance, and bodily fluid contact will be examined.
The connection between the Problem Statement and the Purpose of the Study
The issue statement describes how thousands of people died and the healthcare system was devastated during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014 (Sana, n.d.). Additionally, the statement emphasizes the inadequacy of preventative initiatives, including contact tracing, proper burials, community awareness, and a better knowledge of the risk factors of contracting the Ebola virus (EVD).
The research aims to address this information gap by analyzing secondary data from the Liberian Ministry of Health during the epidemic and examining numerous risk variables associated with catching the Ebola virus. The purpose of this research is to determine why EVD has been so rapidly spreading in Liberia by looking at different demographics, including age and gender, as well as where people live (county), how often they attend funerals, and how often they come into touch with dead bodies (Sana, n.d.). The study’s overarching goal is to add to our understanding of EVD by identifying potentially modifiable risk factors, hoping that this would aid in the prevention and containment of future epidemics (Turshen & Gezmu, 2017).
Relevance of the study
The 2014 Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and West Africa is the focus of this Capstone Project’s issue statement. This study investigates potential risk factors for getting Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Liberia. The outbreak killed thousands of people and affected more than 28,000, with a fifty percent case fatality rate. This research will use secondary data from the Liberian Ministry of Health to conduct descriptive analyses on various potential risk factors for contracting EVD, including age, gender, county of residency, funeral attendance, and contact with bodily fluids. As the researcher explains, they “used the secondary data to examine the association between epidemiological risk factors such as the history of funeral rites or attendance, contact with body fluids, and contact with a suspected case person and the contraction of EVD.” (Sana, n.d.). The research hopes to add to existing knowledge by shedding light on how to prevent and manage future EVD epidemics.
