Risk Prediction Score for Pediatric Patients with Suspected Ebola Virus Disease

• DOI: 10.3201/eid2806.212265
• Publication Date: 2022-05-18T15:01:19Z
• Authors: Alicia E. Genisca; Tzu-Chun Chu; Lawrence Huang; Monique Gainey; Moyinoluwa Adeniji; Eta N. Mbong; Stephen B. Kennedy; Razia Laghari; Fiston Nganga; Rigo F. Muhayangabo; Himanshu Vaishnav; Shiromi M. Perera; Andrés Colubri; Adam C. Levine; Ian C. Michelow
• Keywords: Ebola virus disease; Infectious Disease; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Pediatrics; Disease Outbreaks; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; children; Risk Factors; Diagnosis; West Africa; Humans; viruses; Child; Retrospective Studies; risk prediction score; Research; R; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola; Ebolavirus; 16. Peace & justice; 3. Good health; Virus Diseases; Area Under Curve; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Medicine

Rapid diagnostic tools for children with Ebola virus disease (EVD) are needed to expedite isolation and treatment. To evaluate a predictive diagnostic tool, we examined retrospective data (2014-2015) from the International Medical Corps Ebola Treatment Centers in West Africa. We incorporated statistically derived candidate predictors into a 7-point Pediatric Ebola Risk Score. Evidence of bleeding or having known or no known Ebola contacts was positively associated with an EVD diagnosis, whereas abdominal pain was negatively associated. Model discrimination using area under the curve (AUC) was 0.87, which outperforms the World Health Organization criteria (AUC 0.56). External validation, performed by using data from International Medical Corps Ebola Treatment Centers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during 2018-2019, showed an AUC of 0.70. External validation showed that discrimination achieved by using World Health Organization criteria was similar; however, the Pediatric Ebola Risk Score is simpler to use.