Current Capabilities and Capacity of Ebola Treatment Centers in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn J. Herstein ◽  
Paul D. Biddinger ◽  
Colleen S. Kraft ◽  
Lisa Saiman ◽  
Shawn G. Gibbs ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVETo describe current Ebola treatment center (ETC) locations, their capacity to care for Ebola virus disease patients, and infection control infrastructure features.DESIGNA 19-question survey was distributed electronically in April 2015. Responses were collected via email by June 2015 and analyzed in an electronic spreadsheet.SETTINGThe survey was sent to and completed by site representatives of each ETC.PARTICIPANTSThe survey was sent to all 55 ETCs; 47 (85%) responded.RESULTSOf the 47 responding ETCs, there are 84 isolation beds available for adults and 91 for children; of these pediatric beds, 35 (38%) are in children’s hospitals. In total, the simultaneous capacity of the 47 reporting ETCs is 121 beds. On the basis of the current US census, there are 0.38 beds per million population. Most ETCs have negative pressure isolation rooms, anterooms, and a process for category A waste sterilization, although only 11 facilities (23%) have the capability to sterilize infectious waste on site.CONCLUSIONSFacilities developed ETCs on the basis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, but specific capabilities are not mandated at this present time. Owing to the complex and costly nature of Ebola virus disease treatment and variability in capabilities from facility to facility, in conjunction with the lack of regulations, nationwide capacity in specialized facilities is limited. Further assessments should determine whether ETCs can adapt to safely manage other highly infectious disease threats.Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2016;37(3):313–318

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (05) ◽  
pp. 537-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Bertoli ◽  
Marco Mannazzu ◽  
Giordano Madeddu ◽  
Riccardo Are ◽  
Alberto Muredda ◽  
...  

Since the onset of the worst epidemic of Ebola virus disease in December 2013, 28,637 cases were reported as confirmed, probable, or suspected. Since the week of 3 January 2016, no more cases have been reported. The total number of deaths have amounted to 11,315 (39.5%). In developed countries, seven cases have been diagnosed: four in the United States, one in Spain, one in the United Kingdom, and one in Italy. On 20 July 2015, Italy was declared Ebola-free. On 9 May 2015, an Italian health worker came back to Italy after a long stay in Sierra Leone working for a non-governmental organization. Forty-eight hours after his arrival, he noticed headache, weakness, muscle pains, and slight fever. The following day, he was safely transported to the Infectious Diseases Unit of University Hospital of Sassari. The patient was hospitalized for 19 hours until an Italian Air Force medical division transferred him to Rome, to the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute. Nineteen people who had contacts with the patient were monitored daily for 21 days by the Public Health Office of Sassari and none presented any symptoms. So far, neither vaccine nor treatment is available to be proposed on an international scale. Ebola is considered a re-emerging infectious disease which, unlike in the past, has been a worldwide emergency. This case study aimed to establish a discussion about the operative and logistic difficulties to be faced and about the discrepancy arising when protocols clash with the reality of facts.


2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 406-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Lamb ◽  
Jack Robson ◽  
Christian Ardley ◽  
Mark Bailey ◽  
Stuart Dickson ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-390
Author(s):  
Colleen S. Kraft ◽  
Aneesh K. Mehta ◽  
Jay B. Varkey ◽  
G. Marshall Lyon ◽  
Sharon Vanairsdale ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:Healthcare personnel (HCP) were recruited to provide serum samples, which were tested for antibodies against Ebola or Lassa virus to evaluate for asymptomatic seroconversion.Setting:From 2014 to 2016, 4 patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) and 1 patient with Lassa fever (LF) were treated in the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit (SCDU) at Emory University Hospital. Strict infection control and clinical biosafety practices were implemented to prevent nosocomial transmission of EVD or LF to HCP.Participants:All personnel who entered the SCDU who were required to measure their temperatures and complete a symptom questionnaire twice daily were eligible.Results:No employee developed symptomatic EVD or LF. EVD and LF antibody studies were performed on sera samples from 42 HCP. The 6 participants who had received investigational vaccination with a chimpanzee adenovirus type 3 vectored Ebola glycoprotein vaccine had high antibody titers to Ebola glycoprotein, but none had a response to Ebola nucleoprotein or VP40, or a response to LF antigens.Conclusions:Patients infected with filoviruses and arenaviruses can be managed successfully without causing occupation-related symptomatic or asymptomatic infections. Meticulous attention to infection control and clinical biosafety practices by highly motivated, trained staff is critical to the safe care of patients with an infection from a special pathogen.


2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen M. Burd

An epidemic of Ebola virus disease is occurring in Western Africa on a scale not seen before, particularly in the countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The continued spread is facilitated by insufficient medical facilities, poor sanitation, travel, and unsafe burial practices. Several patients diagnosed with Ebola virus disease in Africa have been evacuated to the United States for treatment, and several other patients have been diagnosed in the United States. It is important for laboratories to be aware of available tests, especially those granted emergency use authorization, as hospitals prepare protocols for the diagnosis and management of high-risk patients.


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