Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Ebola News: CDC issues new rules for protecting workers



Liz Szabo, USA TODAY

Hospital workers treating Ebola patients should wear double sets of gloves, disposable hoods with full face shields and special masks, according to strengthened guidelines issued Monday night by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The guidelines focus on personal protective equipment, or PPE, giving hospitals and clinics more specific instructions about gloves, gowns and face masks, and how they should be put on and taken off.

Nurses and other medical professionals have expressed concern that they are unprepared and unprotected when treating patients suspected of having Ebola. Nurses have complained that they were sent into the room of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the USA, with the skin of their necks exposed. Two nurses who treated Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas became infected with the virus and are now hospitalized.

Infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm praised the agency for issuing step-by-step instructions that are clear and comprehensive. He said the CDC listened to experts in occupational safety as well as medical workers on the job.

Read full on usatoday

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