Open Syndrome Ebola Marburg Virus Cases
Table of Contents
Authors: Open Syndrome Initiative
Location: Global
Purpose #
The definition #
any person, alive or dead, suffering or having suffered from sudden onset of high fever, and had contact with: o a suspected, probable, or confirmed Ebola case, or a dead or sick animal; OR • any person with sudden onset of high fever, AND at least three of the following symptoms: headache, lethargy, anorexia/loss of appetite, aching muscles or joints, stomach pain, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea, hiccups; OR • any person with inexplicable bleeding; OR • any sudden, inexplicable death.
Machine-readable definition #
The definition is available in JSON format following the Open Syndrome v1.0 specification:
{
"category": "suspected",
"definition_type": "case_definition",
"description": "",
"human_readable_definition": "any person, alive or dead, suffering or having suffered from sudden onset of high fever, and had\ncontact with:\no a suspected, probable, or confirmed Ebola case, or a dead or sick animal; OR\n• any person with sudden onset of high fever, AND at least three of the following symptoms:\nheadache, lethargy, anorexia/loss of appetite, aching muscles or joints, stomach pain, difficulty\nswallowing, vomiting, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea, hiccups; OR\n• any person with inexplicable bleeding; OR\n• any sudden, inexplicable death.",
"inclusion_criteria": [
{
"logical_operator": "OR",
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"logical_operator": "AND",
"name": "High fever and epidemiological history",
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"name": "Sudden onset of high fever",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"logical_operator": "OR",
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"name": "Contact with a suspected, probable, or confirmed Ebola case",
"type": "epidemiological_history"
},
{
"name": "Contact with a dead or sick animal",
"type": "epidemiological_history"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"logical_operator": "AND",
"name": "High fever and at least 3 of the following symptoms",
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"name": "Sudden onset of high fever",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"logical_operator": "AT_LEAST",
"logical_operator_arguments": [
3
],
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"name": "Headache",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Lethargy",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Anorexia/loss of appetite",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Aching muscles or joints",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Stomach pain",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Difficulty swallowing",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Vomiting",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Difficulty breathing",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Diarrhea",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Hiccups",
"type": "symptom"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "Inexplicable bleeding",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Sudden, inexplicable death",
"type": "professional_judgment"
}
]
}
],
"keywords": [
"Ebola",
"Marburg virus",
"WHO"
],
"language": "English",
"location": "Global",
"open_syndrome_version": "1.0.0",
"organization": "Open Syndrome Initiative",
"published_at": "2025-02-08T18:26:37Z",
"published_by": [
"Open Syndrome Initiative"
],
"published_in": "https://opensyndrome.org",
"references": [
{
"url": "https://www.who.int/emergencies/outbreak-toolkit/disease-outbreak-toolboxes/ebola-and-marburg-virus-outbreak-toolbox"
}
],
"scope": "specific",
"status": "draft",
"target_public_health_threats": [
"Ebola and Marburg virus"
],
"title": "Open Syndrome Ebola Marburg Virus Cases",
"version": "1.0.0"
}
Using the Definition #
Healthcare organizations can implement this definition through:
- Direct integration with surveillance systems
- API endpoints for real-time validation
- Manual case verification processes
Next Steps #
We encourage:
- Clinical feedback on the definition criteria
- Technical feedback on the implementation format
- Suggestions for additional symptoms or signs
- Reports of implementation experiences
Get Involved #
We welcome contributions and feedback from the community.