Perceptions of the Risk for Ebola and Health Facility Use Among Health Workers and Pregnant and Lactating Women - Kenema District, Sierra Leone, September 2014

With an estimated maternal mortality ratio of 1,100 per 100,000 live births and a neonatal mortality rate of 49 per 1,000 live births, Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality ratio and the fourth highest neonatal mortality rate in the world, accounting for 2,400 maternal and 11,200 newborn deaths annually. By straining the fragile health care infrastructure, the Ebola virus disease epidemic might put pregnant women and their newborns at even greater risk for adverse outcomes. Here, Dynes et al assess the attitudes and perceptions regarding the risk of Ebola and health facility use among health workers and pregnant and lactating women.