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Hospitals, health systems preparing to treat patients with Ebola face unexpected challenges

Hospitals and health systems preparing for and treating patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the fall of 2015 faced unexpected challenges for ensuring safety of staff, patients and the community. The experiences are detailed in two studies published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

2 Apr 2015

Researchers study safety, effectiveness of experimental Ebola vaccine following high-risk exposure

A physician who received an experimental Ebola vaccine after experiencing a needle stick while working in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone did not develop Ebola virus infection, and there was strong Ebola-specific immune responses after the vaccination, although because of its limited use to date, the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine is not certain, according to a study appearing in JAMA.

6 Mar 2015

Training modules for emergency department staff to treat infectious disease patients available on CDC's website

Four Web-based training modules developed by Johns Hopkins Medicine for emergency department personnel who treat patients with infectious diseases are now available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

18 Feb 2015

Experience with Ebola outbreak highlights local responses to global health threats

Experience with the Ebola outbreak highlights local health departments' essential role in responding to global health threats posed by infectious diseases, according to a special article in the March/April issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

16 Feb 2015

Outbreaks of infectious diseases offer lessons for critical care providers

Outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as Ebola in West Africa, offer insight for how healthcare professionals can respond more effectively to current and future challenges, according to editors of the American Journal of Critical Care.

5 Jan 2015

IRC plans to deploy electronic medical records in fight against Ebola

The International Rescue Committee today announced that it is testing and plans to deploy electronic medical records in the fight against Ebola.

5 Dec 2014

Researchers identify infection control gaps as major culprit in spread of MERS-CoV

Little is known about the often fatal virus known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but researchers have identified gaps in infection control as a major culprit in all eleven published cases involving healthcare-associated transmission of the virus.

2 Dec 2014

WHO conducts formal review of PPE guidelines for healthcare workers in response to Ebola outbreak

As part of WHO's commitment to safety and protection of healthcare workers and patients from transmission of Ebola virus disease, WHO has conducted a formal review of personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines for healthcare workers and is updating its guidelines in context of the current outbreak.

3 Nov 2014

Johns Hopkins to lead, design interactive Web-based Ebola training program

Johns Hopkins Medicine has been tasked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lead a group and to design an interactive Web-based learning program that guides health care workers, nurses and physicians through government-approved protocols to aid clinicians as they provide care to patients who may be at risk of contracting the Ebola virus.

27 Oct 2014

Minnesota hospitals, health systems develop coordinated strategy to care for Ebola patients

The Minnesota Hospital Association announced today that hospitals and health systems from around the state have developed a coordinated strategy to care for Ebola patients in Minnesota. Under the plan, all hospitals in the state will continue to be prepared to detect, isolate and initially care for suspected Ebola patients.

25 Oct 2014

Hill Republicans refine their strategy on foreign travelers as CDC tightens Ebola guidelines

The GOP is now pressing to suspend visas for some travelers since the administration has so far rejected calls for a flight ban. Also Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention beefed-up its guidelines to protect health care workers.

22 Oct 2014

Key experts to discuss Ebola response plan at one-day workshop

At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council will host a one-day workshop on Nov. 3 to examine the areas of biomedical and public health research that should be conducted to best prepare the United States to safeguard the public as a result of the emergence of Ebola Virus Disease.

17 Oct 2014

CHLA pediatric specialist discusses how parents can help children prevent Ebola outbreak

For many months, the world has witnessed the Ebola virus spread and claim more than 4,400 lives in West African countries. On Oct. 8, the first confirmed adult Ebola patient identified in the United States died. The constant news coverage has heightened concern among parents who fear their children will become infected. Jill Hoffman, MD, a pediatric Infectious diseases specialist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, discusses the facts about Ebola, how parents can help their children prevent further outbreak by teaching them good hygiene, and how CHLA is prepared to identify and treat suspected Ebola patients.

16 Oct 2014

Canada announces deployment of second mobile lab team to West Africa

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, with Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Gregory Taylor, announced the deployment of a second mobile lab team to West Africa.

6 Oct 2014

Bridgestone Group to donate $1M to combat Ebola outbreak in Liberia

The Bridgestone Group (Bridgestone) today announced it will donate one million dollars (USD) to critical efforts underway in Liberia and the region to combat the Ebola outbreak.

30 Sep 2014

Canadian government committed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, committed to continued efforts to strengthen global health security at the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) meeting in Washington, DC.

27 Sep 2014

Improper removal of personal protective gear increases risk for Ebola health care workers

A team of American infectious disease and critical care experts is alerting colleagues caring for Ebola patients that how they remove their personal protective gear can be just as crucial as wearing it to prevent exposure to the deadly virus.

10 Sep 2014

New paper highlights ways to improve outcomes of Ebola virus infection

The largest-ever Ebola virus disease outbreak is ravaging West Africa, but with more personnel, basic monitoring, and supportive treatment, many of the sickest patients with Ebola virus disease do not need to die, note the authors of a new paper published ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

30 Aug 2014

NIH to start initial human testing of investigational Ebola vaccine next week

Initial human testing of an investigational vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease will begin next week by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

29 Aug 2014

Longer looks: Kentucky is health law poster child; how to negotiate a lower medical bill; the Ebola outbreak up close

About a year ago, on Aug. 22, a team of inspectors from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) unit of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services arrived in Frankfort, Ky., to see if the people working out of a nondescript warehouse there were going to be able to pull off the launch of Kentucky's Obamacare health-insurance exchange.

8 Aug 2014