Old CDC Ebola PPE Recommendations
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/infection-prevention-and-control-recommendations.html
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When Thomas Duncan arrived at a Dallas hospital last month the CDC’s recommended PPEs for HCWs dealing with a suspected or confirmed Ebola case included contact (gloves, gown) and droplet protection (surgical masks, eye protection), but full skin covering and the use of respirators (ie. PAPR, N95) were not for patient care not involving aerosol generating procedures (AGPs).
Some hospitals that received evacuated Ebola cases, such as Emory and UNMC (which have dedicated high containment isolation facilities) were plainly exceeding these standards from the beginning, using PAPRs and full body Hazmat suits for protection.
This disconnect between what the CDC was recommending – and what these high containment facilities were doing - has given rise to concerns among hospitals and healthcare workers that the existing recommendations might not be adequate when dealing with Ebola.
A concern that has only grown since two healthcare workers caring from Mr. Duncan in Dallas were exposed to the virus even though they were – in the words of the hospital – following the CDC’s PPE protocol.
This morning Dr. Anthony Fauci made the rounds of the Sunday morning news shows, and on FACE THE NATION, revealed that new, `more stringent’ PPE standards are soon to be announced by the CDC.
While not wishing to preempt the CDC’s announcement, Dr. Fauci suggested that `no exposed skin’, better training, and a `buddy system’ for donning and doffing PPEs’ would likely be on the list of new standards.
The CBS news story, and a six minute video clip are available below:
New CDC Ebola guidelines will be "more stringent," NIH expert says
The new protocols that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are developing for health care workers treating patients with Ebola will be "much more stringent" than previous guidelines, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Health [NIH] National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
