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  1. Case Definitions/

Open Syndrome Ebola Marburg Virus Cases

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.