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Feature Briefing

US revamps domestic Ebola response

BMJ 2014; 349 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g6417 (Published 22 October 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g6417

This article has a correction. Please see:

  1. Michael McCarthy, journalist, Seattle, Washington, USA
  1. mxmc{at}mac.com

Recent cases have exposed weaknesses in US procedures for controlling the spread of Ebola virus. The CDC has responded by tightening the guidelines, Michael McCarthy reports

US health officials have been scrambling to tighten up their control protocols and procedures after the emergency room staff of a hospital in Dallas, Texas, misdiagnosed the first case of Ebola in the US—in a Liberian man who became ill shortly after arriving from west Africa—and two of the hospital’s nursing staff contracted the disease while caring for him.

On 20 October, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidelines for healthcare providers caring for patients with Ebola virus disease.1 2 The stricter guidelines require personal protective equipment that covers the entire body, including face shields and respirators. The revised guidelines also call for more rigorous staff training in how to take on and off the protective equipment and requires that a trained monitor be at hand to supervise staff every time they put it on and take it off.

What steps are being taken to stop Ebola coming into the country?

US health officials expect few cases of Ebola will come to the US and are confident they can quickly and effectively contain any outbreak by relying on the traditional public health practices that emphasize detecting, isolating, and treating cases and tracing their contacts. Airport screening is seen as the first line of defense, and as of 21 October, anyone flying from one of the three affected west African countries—Senegal, Liberia, and Guinea—can enter the US only through one of five designated airports: Kennedy International in New …

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