Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH16 1722
Apply for CDC RFA GH16 1722
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening Ebola rapid detection and response capacity through community based surveillance and safe burial practices" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.318.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 07, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 02, 2016 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity "Strengthening Ebola rapid detection and response capacity through community based surveillance and safe burial practices" (CDC RFA GH16-1722) is a CDC cooperative agreement aimed at helping Guinea prevent, detect, and rapidly contain any new Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases after the major West Africa epidemic. Even though WHO declared the end of EVD as a public health emergency in March 2016 and later declared the end of transmission in Guinea on June 1, 2016, the opportunity is grounded in the reality that Ebola risk does not disappear immediately when case counts drop to zero. The program is designed for the post-outbreak period, when a country is transitioning from emergency response to recovery but still faces a meaningful threat of flare-ups, especially from viral persistence in survivors.
A central justification for the award is the continued occurrence of small clusters after the official end of widespread transmission. The notice highlights a March 2016 cluster that produced confirmed and probable cases in Guinea and confirmed cases in Liberia, traced back to sexual transmission from an Ebola survivor who had been infected in 2014. This episode underscored a key operational challenge: more than a year after recovery, survivors may still transmit Ebola through bodily fluids, particularly semen. With roughly 1,270 survivors in Guinea at the time, the grant frames survivor-associated transmission as an ongoing, hard-to-predict risk that demands practical surveillance systems capable of catching cases quickly before they spread.
The opportunity emphasizes that Ebola symptoms are often non-specific, which makes it difficult to identify cases based on clinical signs alone. Because diagnostic testing becomes more reliable later in illness, the CDC outlines a pragmatic surveillance approach that includes routine testing among deceased persons, especially in higher-risk geographic areas such as communities with many previous cases or a high number of survivors. In other words, the grant is not only about watching for illness in the living; it is also about improving the ability to detect Ebola signals through systematic monitoring and testing of community deaths, since deaths can be a critical indicator of hidden transmission in settings where sick individuals may not reach formal health facilities.
A major operational component is strengthening community-based surveillance and the chain of reporting from the community level to the health system. The funding seeks to bolster active surveillance carried out by community volunteers, community health workers, and health facilities, with the goal of improving early warning and notification. The notice points out that community-based surveillance was still in early development in Guinea and that notification of community deaths was under 50 percent in potential flare-up areas, indicating a substantial gap the award intends to close. By improving reporting of illnesses and deaths, and ensuring suspected cases are evaluated, the program aims to shorten the time between a first signal and a full response.
The grant also connects surveillance directly to the ability to respond safely and effectively once an alert is generated. It calls for epidemiologic technical assistance to ensure that suspected cases are tested, contacts are identified and monitored, and appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are implemented at the community level. This reflects a "detect and respond" model: surveillance is only useful if it triggers quick investigation, safe clinical and public health actions, and contact tracing that stops onward transmission.
Another highlighted priority is the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for testing corpses, described as the most practical method for post-mortem screening in the field. These RDTs were newly developed during the epidemic and were considered to have favorable performance, but the opportunity notes that expertise in correct use and interpretation was not widespread. The grant therefore focuses on building practical capacity: safe handling of specimens, correct test procedures, proper interpretation, and ensuring testing is integrated with infection control precautions. The CDC also stresses that testing must be linked to safe burial practices, because unsafe handling of bodies has historically been a major driver of Ebola transmission.
Safe burial practices are treated as a core intervention rather than an add-on. The award frames testing and safe burials together as two of the most important tools for breaking Ebola transmission chains, particularly because deceased individuals can be highly infectious and because funerals can involve close contact. By integrating rapid post-mortem testing with safe, dignified burials, the program aims to reduce the chance that an undetected Ebola death leads to a cluster of secondary cases, while also improving community trust and compliance through consistent, organized procedures.
Finally, the opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, signaling that CDC expects to remain substantively involved, not simply provide funding. It builds on CDCs broader West Africa response posture, including the establishment of a country office and prior support across surveillance, contact tracing, data management, laboratory testing, and health education. The underlying goal is sustainability: because the duration of viral persistence in survivors was still uncertain and WHO guidance on heightened surveillance timeframes could evolve, the grant stresses maintaining testing and surveillance capacity for the foreseeable future and transferring skills and responsibility from emergency partners to local actors with long-term responsibility for community health risk management. The funding announcement listed one expected award and was released in September 2016 with an application deadline in early November 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Strengthening Ebola rapid detection and response capacity through community based surveillance and safe burial practices" and is identified as CDC RFA GH16-1722.
What type of funding mechanism is this?
It is a CDC cooperative agreement, meaning CDC expects to be substantively involved during implementation rather than only providing funds.
What is the main goal of the program?
The goal is to help Guinea prevent, detect, and rapidly contain any new Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases during the post-outbreak period, when transmission has ended but the risk of flare-ups remains.
Why is this grant focused on the post-outbreak period if transmission was declared over?
The opportunity is based on the reality that Ebola risk does not disappear immediately when case counts drop to zero. It specifically emphasizes ongoing flare-up risk, including the possibility of small clusters after the official end of widespread transmission.
What real-world event is used to justify continued vigilance?
The notice highlights a March 2016 cluster that produced confirmed and probable cases in Guinea and confirmed cases in Liberia, traced back to sexual transmission from an Ebola survivor who had been infected in 2014.
How does viral persistence in survivors relate to the program design?
The program treats survivor-associated transmission as an ongoing and hard-to-predict risk. It notes that more than a year after recovery, survivors may still transmit Ebola through bodily fluids, particularly semen, which creates a need for practical surveillance that can catch cases quickly before they spread.
How many Ebola survivors in Guinea are referenced in the opportunity?
The notice references roughly 1,270 Ebola survivors in Guinea at the time, which is used to illustrate the scale of potential survivor-associated risk.
Why is Ebola difficult to identify based on symptoms alone?
The opportunity notes that Ebola symptoms are often non-specific, making it difficult to identify cases based only on clinical signs.
Why does the program include testing among deceased persons?
Because diagnostic testing becomes more reliable later in illness and because community deaths can signal hidden transmission, the program includes routine testing among deceased persons, especially in higher-risk geographic areas.
What kinds of areas are considered higher risk for post-mortem testing?
The notice points to higher-risk geographic areas such as communities with many previous Ebola cases or a high number of survivors.
What is community-based surveillance in the context of this grant?
Community-based surveillance refers to active surveillance carried out by community volunteers, community health workers, and health facilities, supported by a strengthened chain of reporting from the community level to the health system.
What specific surveillance gap in Guinea does the opportunity aim to address?
The notice states that community-based surveillance was still in early development and that notification of community deaths was under 50 percent in potential flare-up areas, indicating a major gap the award is intended to close.
What does the "detect and respond" approach mean in this program?
It means surveillance is expected to trigger rapid investigation and action: suspected cases are tested, contacts are identified and monitored, and infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are implemented at the community level to stop onward transmission.
What kinds of response activities are tied to surveillance alerts?
The opportunity calls for epidemiologic technical assistance to ensure suspected cases are tested, contacts are identified and monitored, and appropriate IPC measures are implemented at the community level.
What role do rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) play in this grant?
RDTs are highlighted for testing corpses, described as the most practical method for post-mortem screening in the field during the post-outbreak context.
Why does the opportunity emphasize correct use and interpretation of RDTs?
The notice explains that while RDTs were newly developed during the epidemic and considered to have favorable performance, expertise in correct use and interpretation was not widespread, so capacity building is a key focus.
What practical capacities related to testing does the program aim to strengthen?
The opportunity emphasizes safe handling of specimens, correct test procedures, proper interpretation of results, and making sure testing is integrated with infection control precautions.
How are safe burial practices integrated into the program?
Safe burial practices are treated as a core intervention, linked directly to testing. The program frames rapid post-mortem testing and safe, dignified burials as two of the most important tools for breaking Ebola transmission chains.
Why are safe burials considered so critical for Ebola control?
The notice emphasizes that deceased individuals can be highly infectious and that unsafe handling of bodies and funeral practices have historically been major drivers of Ebola transmission.
How does the program address community trust and compliance around burials?
By integrating testing with safe, dignified burials and emphasizing consistent, organized procedures, the program aims to reduce transmission risk while improving community trust and compliance.
Does the program build on prior CDC work in West Africa?
Yes. The opportunity notes it builds on CDC's broader West Africa response posture, including establishment of a country office and prior support across surveillance, contact tracing, data management, laboratory testing, and health education.
What is the sustainability focus of the grant?
The grant emphasizes maintaining testing and surveillance capacity for the foreseeable future, with an intent to transfer skills and responsibility from emergency partners to local actors responsible for long-term community health risk management.
Why does the opportunity stress maintaining capacity for an extended timeframe?
It notes uncertainty about the duration of viral persistence in survivors and that WHO guidance on heightened surveillance timeframes could evolve, supporting the rationale for sustained preparedness.
How many awards were expected under this funding announcement?
The funding announcement listed one expected award.
When was the opportunity released and when were applications due?
The opportunity was released in September 2016 and had an application deadline in early November 2016.
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