Dr Inger Damon interview and PDF transcript

[00:00:00] Division Director at CDC since early 2014; previously 15 years in Poxvirus and Rabies group. [00:01:00] Initial involvement in Ebola response spring 2014; became Incident Manager end of July. Responsible for setting up incident management system, coordinating teams, supporting CDC staff in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone. Notes exponential rise in cases, spread to urban centres, overwhelmed infection control in hospitals, lack of PPE. Tasks included tracking case counts, logistics for field deployment, staff safety, reassurance for families, and communication with US public on infection control and diagnostics. Development of Laboratory Response Network for Ebola testing; efforts to improve diagnostic capacity, surveillance, contact tracing, health education in affected countries. [00:05:20] Describes logistics for airlifting two Samaritan’s Purse health workers to Emory Hospital; coordination with Department of State, global migration quarantine group, clinical teams, infection control consultations. Communication challenges managing public concerns about bringing Ebola patients to US. [00:09:50] Workforce risk management: training on transmission, distancing, handwashing; establishment of safety officers; pairing staff; use of trusted local guides. [00:13:00] Disparity in treatment for US vs local staff; planning for evacuation and care for locally employed staff. [00:15:30] Community resistance in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia; engagement strategies included elders, religious organisations, micro-planning. [00:18:00] Role of Epidemic Intelligence Service: limited autonomy early due to safety; later more independent work. [00:23:20] Notes largest CDC deployment; partnership with USAID; strategic planning under constant information changes. [00:25:00] Ongoing work: lab testing, vaccine trials, survivor studies, Ebola persistence in semen, relapse cases. [00:28:30] Highlights challenges of research during outbreak and importance of managing fear alongside logistics, similarities to early on in HIV outbreak. [00:30:10] End of interview. This content summary was created from the interview transcript in November 2025 using M365 Copilot Chat. The content summary was then reviewed against the audio by the cataloguer.

26/10/2015

304 MB 1 WAV file, 1 transcript

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PDF transcript created by archivist for preservation and access reasons. See OH3/36/2 for original Microsoft Word format version of transcript.

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