Breach of health care protocol and PPE removal procedures at a USA hospital where Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan was treated before his death, led to the infection of a health care worker with the deadly virus. Other caregivers may have been exposed.
The infected health care worker’s personal protective equipment (PPE) included a gown, gloves, mask, and shield. She could not explain how the breach might have occurred, said Dr Tom Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Duncan was the first person in the USA diagnosed with Ebola.
Some workers take off their PPE incorrectly, leading to contamination. Investigators will also check procedures for dialysis and intubation, the insertion of a breathing tube in a patient’s airway. Both procedures have the potential to spread infectious material.
A Spanish nurse assistant became the first health care worker infected outside West Africa during the ongoing outbreak.
She helped care for two priests who were brought to a Madrid hospital and later died. More than 370 health care workers in West Africa have fallen ill or died since the epidemic began earlier this year. A dog belonging to the Spanish nurse was euthanised.
The USA CDC said the “missteps” with the first patient and the infection of a caregiver was a warning to all health care workers worldwide.
Police stood guard outside her apartment complex and told people not to go inside. Officers made automated phone calls and passed out fliers to notify people in a four-block radius, although the risk is confined to close contact with Ebola patients.
The deceased patient came from Liberia to visit family, sought medical care for ‘fever and abdominal pain’, and told a nurse he had traveled from Africa. He was later placed in isolation.
Liberia is one of the three West African countries most affected by the Ebola epidemic, which has killed more than 4000 people, according to World Health Organisation figures. The others are Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Ebola Symptoms and Exposure Management.
Ebola is caused by a virus. Initial symptoms could start within two days of contact with an infected person or body: fever, tiredness, headache and nausea.
Later symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhoea, cough (which may contain blood), and bleeding from nose and mouth.
It spreads by people in direct contact with people who have ebola, or contact with dead bodies, or some animals.
Keep away from sick or dead patients with Ebola. Do not touch an infected person or their body fluids. Wash your hands often with soap.
Do not touch or eat bush meat or bats.
If you suspect ebola, call your medical centre and tell them about your illness. Listen to the advice, you may be sent to a special hospital.
Keep away from others so they don’t get sick. Be especially careful with your bodily fluids such as spittle, cough, blood, urine, feces.
USA health authorities confirmed; “Ebola spreads through close contact with a symptomatic person’s bodily fluids, such as blood, sweat, vomit, feces, urine, saliva or semen. Those fluids must have an entry point, like a cut or scrape or someone touching the nose, mouth or eyes with contaminated hands, or being splashed.”
The World Health Organisation confirmed that “blood, feces and vomit are the most infectious fluids, while the virus is found in saliva mostly once patients are severely ill. The whole live virus has never been culled from sweat.”
USA customs and health officials began taking the temperatures of passengers arriving at airports from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in a stepped-up screening effort.
The health care worker had reported a fever as part of a self-monitoring regimen required by the CDC. The hospital has stopped accepting new emergency room patients.
In the health worker’s neighborhood, one police officer said an industrial barrel outside contained hazardous biological waste taken from inside the building.
Officials said they also received information that there may be a pet in the health care worker’s apartment, and they have a plan to care for the animal. They do not believe the pet has signs of having contracted Ebola.
Disclaimer: This post is to raise awareness. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Should you have questions or concerns about any topic described here, consult your medical professional.
Source; Buildsafe SA. Press of Atlantic City.
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