Part 6/16:
One of the most complex parts of outbreak control involved backward and forward contact tracing. Backward tracing seeks to identify where and how the infection was acquired, while forward tracing aims to contain its spread. For instance, authorities investigated the church attendees’ movements and contacts during the critical period around January 19.
Interviews revealed that the initial cases might have contracted the virus during church activities, possibly through droplet transmission, with instances like singing and loud talking increasing droplet expulsion. However, public health officials faced a challenge: some individuals were asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic when they attended gatherings, making it difficult to detect infectious cases early.