"All healthcare workers know they run a risk when they take care of patients, particularly those with communicable diseases," says David Weber, MD, professor of medicine, pediatrics, and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina Schools of Medicine and Public Health.
"In Africa," Weber describes, "more than 300 healthcare workers have acquired Ebola. More than 200 of those have died."
"Healthcare providers are well aware of the risks...and we accept that risk," Weber says.
When it comes to volunteer healthcare workers willing to treat patients with Ebola, the focus now should be to minimize those risks through proper training, Weber says.
"We need to do that ahead of time, before the patient comes, because we train those people intensively," Weber explains. "How to safely put on and take off their personal protective equipment," for example.
"And we screen them as well," Weber continues, "for those that might be pregnant, have open wounds or skin, those that themselves are immunocompromised...we wouldn't accept those people because they would be at higher risk."
Source: UNC
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.