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05/04/2024 12:23:36 am

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U.S. Implements New Guidelines In Combating Ebola

Ebola suits

(Photo : REUTERS)

The United States issued a series of new guidelines Monday aimed at medical workers caring for Ebola patients.

The announcement came after two of the health workers caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first to have died from the virus in the U.S., have contracted the disease.

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The new guidelines, modified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were introduced to prevent future outbreaks from taking place.

The protocol requires all health workers to wear a protective suit, which will cover every part of the body.

According to the CDC, the new guidelines would ensure "clarity" in the preventive measures against the virus and is said to be a "tightening of the previous guidelines for medical workers who are treating Ebola patients.

Under the newly modified guidelines, health workers will be required to undergo repeated training on the use of the personal protective equipment (PPE) and demonstration of their skill in wearing the protective gear.

The protocol now involves the use of coveralls with a disposable hood. A supervisor will also have to oversee the health care workers as they put on the suits, to ensure that it is worn the proper way, and no skin is left exposed, thereby preventing the possibility of contracting the virus, which is transferred through bodily fluid.

In a statement released by CDC Director Tom Frieden during a phone conference with several news agencies, he said that with the new protocol, it is unacceptable if even one more healthcare staff is infected.

Prior to the modification of the protocol, under the World Health Orgazation's standards against Ebola, the medical staffs, including those in the Texas hospital where Duncan was brought, were only required to use protective clothing, such as gloves, face masks, and eye protection, which left several areas of the skin exposed.

At present, the Ebola outbreak has left more than 4,500 people dead and thousands infected, especially in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

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