Keep abreast of new guidelines and evidence emerging on many diseases with DynaMed, which is available to the Tufts community via the Library website and as a mobile app.

For background reading and a glimpse of the future, try Richard Preston’s “The Ebola Wars” in The New Yorker.

“Facts About Ebola in the U.S. Infographic” from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Below are DynaMed’s most recent updates on Ebola and its summary of the changes in the CDC guideline.  Select its E-Newsletter tab to sign up for its email alerts, view the archive of EBM Focus, or register for CME credit for reading it.

Ebola Virus Disease

• Updated 2014 Oct 24 01:59:00 PM: case description of care for an Ebola patient in a biocontainment unit in Germany (N Engl J Med 2014 Oct 22)
• Updated 2014 Oct 22 10:57:00 AM: Government of Canada providing experimental vesiculars-stomatitis-virus based vaccine (VSV-EBOV) to the World Health Organization (Public Health Agency of Canada Fact Sheet)
• clinical features associated with 2014 West Africa outbreak of Ebola virus  (N Engl J Med 2014 Oct 16)

Ebola: Updated CDC Guidelines

The world is presently experiencing the largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in history. Over 9,000 persons have been infected in West Africa, resulting in over 4,500 deaths. Three cases have been diagnosed in the United States, two among nurses caring for the first patient.

Following the transmission of Ebola to healthcare workers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have revised their guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).  New CDC guidance emphasizes:

1. Rigorous and repeated training in performing all infection control procedures, specifically the donning and doffing of PPE, with demonstration of competency for all healthcare workers involved in the care of Ebola patients.
2. No skin exposure when PPE is worn.  New step-by-step instructions require full-body coverage, including use of a surgical hood with single use face shield, fluid-resistant gowns supplemented by waterproof aprons and boot covers, double gloves and either N95 respirator or powered air purifying respirator (PPAR).   Use of facemasks and goggles are no longer considered adequate.
3. Supervision by a trained observer to ensure that there is no breach in protocol when healthcare workers don or doff PPE.

Special thanks to Research & Instruction librarian Elizabeth Richardson for compiling this post!