CDC releases revised Ebola gear guidelines
Published 10:19 am Tuesday, October 21, 2014
ATLANTA — Federal health officials on Monday issued new guidelines to promote head-to-toe protection for health workers treating Ebola patients.
Officials have been scrambling to come up with new advice for protective gear since two Dallas nurses became infected while caring for the first person diagnosed with the virus in the United States.
The new guidelines set a firmer standard, calling for full-body garb and hoods that protect worker’s necks; setting rigorous rules for removal of equipment and disinfection of gloved hands; and calling for a “site manager” to supervise the putting on and taking off of equipment.
They also say health workers who may be involved in an Ebola patient’s care should repeatedly practice and demonstrate proficiency in donning and removing gear — before ever being allowed near a patient.