I just got an email from the CDC. They are sending out reminders to their subscribers via email, Twitter and Facebook regarding the new Ebola guidelines that they've instituted. The CDC refers to it as "tightened guidance."
CDC is tightening previous infection control guidance for health care workers caring for patients with Ebola, to ensure there is no ambiguity. The guidance focuses on specific personal protective equipment (PPE) health care workers should use and offers detailed step by step instructions for how to put the equipment on and take it off safely.
Recent experience from safely treating patients with Ebola at Emory University Hospital, Nebraska Medical Center and National Institutes of Health Clinical Center are reflected in the guidance.
More below the Orangeola virus.
They sum up the guidelines as follows:
All healthcare workers undergo rigorous training and are practiced and competent with PPE [personal protective equipment], including putting it on and taking it off in a systemic manner
No skin exposure when PPE is worn
All workers are supervised by a trained monitor who watches each worker putting PPE on and taking it off.
(More information is at the CDC link below.)
In addition to putting major emphasis on training and practice in using appropriate PPE and having someone supervise others as they don and doff PPE, they have other suggestions.
Some of the improvements are: double gloving is now required. They recommend OR hoods to cover the head and neck (the neck not being covered was a problem cited by nurses at Texas Presbyterian.) Boot covers, respirators instead of surgical masks (N95 or PAPR). Aprons when necessary.
They also make some other recommendations. You can see all of their guidelines by following the link.
We can hope that the guidelines will be followed for staff caring for Ebola patients in the future. However, the CDC can only recommend these procedures, they can't require that hospitals follow them.
http://www.cdc.gov/...