WHO: Investigating Cause of Death During an Outbreak of Ebola

WHO-GHS-Investigating-cause-of-death World Health Organization report presenting a draft verbal autopsy instrument based on best judgement and previous experience in a variety of settings including outbreaks and research.   It is part of a wider effort by the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) to develop tools for testing in advance of outbreak situations.  The report also contains information on how to carry out a validation study, which compares the results of a verbal autopsy questionnaire with the results of a “gold standard” – such as laboratory test or clinical diagnosis.  To date, there is no standard, verbal autopsy instrument for use during outbreaks of Ebola virus haemorrhagic fever (EHF).