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During the COVID-19 pandemic, evacuation and repatriation of nationals have been done by many countries. However, this has posed several socio-economic and public health issues that are worth exploring. This commentary, therefore, aims at exploring the impact of evacuation and repatriation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Evacuation and repatriation helped to alleviate the psycho-social effects of the pandemic on foreign nationals, and also creates a sense of relief for host nations due to the reduced stress related to caring for a potentially larger number of people. It also contributed to the enhancement of the healthcare systems of several countries. However, evacuation and repatriation have contributed to the importation of the virus into various countries. It presents significant logistic and economic challenges as it requires trained personnel and equipment. Therefore, there is a need for proper planning, financing and supervision to avoid possible importation of the virus during the expedition. In addition, community awareness regarding returnees is essential to prevent social discrimination and stigma. Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2021-03-SI-7 Full Text: PDF

The achievements in Ebola virus disease (EVD) prevention and control can be reflected by scientific studies, particularly in the top-cited studies. The study thus aimed to identify and characterise the 100 top-cited studies of EVD. The study used a retrospective bibliometric-analysis, which was performed in January 2020. Studies were searched from the Web of Science using keywords: "Ebola" or "Ebola virus" or "Ebola virus disease" to identify the 100 top-cited EVD studies. Studies were analysed for the number of citations, authorship, and journal, year of publication, country and institution. The analyses were carried out using SPSS, HistCite and VOSviewer. The 100 top-cited studies were published between 1977 and 2017, cited from 169 to 808 times and had an average citation of 290.5, and 8 studies were cited more than 500 times. They were published in 31 journals, and the Journal of Virology published most of the studies (n=14). They were produced by 33 countries, and the USA published most of the studies (63), followed by Germany (8) and Gabon (6). CDC-USA (26) was the leading institution, while Geisbert TW and Sanchez A were the most productive authors. This study provides insights into the historical advancements reflected by the top-cited studies and has highlighted the leading roles played by various stakeholders in addressing EVD. However, the contribution of African countries is not sufficiently reflected among these studies, and so more focus, funding and involvement in clinical research is needed for effective prevention and control of EVD in Africa.