Latest case of Ebola in U.S. raises questions about protective gear used to treat patients
The newest case of Ebola to reach the United States raises questions about the effectiveness of the protective gear health care workers wear when treating patients.
A hospital worker in Dallas tested positive for the disease Sunday. The nurse treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient to die in this country.
One doctor in Southern Colorado believes it’s possible the nurse was taking off protective gear at the time of infection.
“The problem is when you use those you have to take them off in very deliberate fashion,” Dr. John Torres said. “You have to take the suits off in reverse order, somebody helps you take them off, you wash constantly while you’re taking them off so nothing gets transmitted. If a person takes their gloves off and hasn’t washed their hands, rubs their nose, rubs her eye, if the gloves are off and they’re taking the gown off and they peel it back and the outside of the gown touches the skin, it can get on the skin that way.”
Doctors and nurses treating the disease stateside use gear that provides enough protection from bodily fluids, not full hazmat suits.
“It’s obviously not being protective enough in certain instances,” Torres said. “I think we need to look at what they’re using in Africa, maybe full body protection.”
Torres stressed the transmission of Ebola is not airborne and the risk of the disease spreading to Colorado is extremely low.
The latest Ebola’ victim’s identity has not been released.
The Center for Disease Control Director Thomas Frieden believes we could see more cases in the coming days as everyone who treated Duncan is now considered to be potentially exposed to the virus.
