Non-U.S. Healthcare Settings

International infection control aims to prevent the spread of Ebola and other dangerous infections from person to person. The four keys to infection control are

• Identifying and Isolating Patients Under Investigation (PUIs) for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
• Protecting Patients and Healthcare Workers
• Cleaning Up Safely
• Managing Patients Safely and Compassionately

These pages provide guidance and resources for healthcare workers and others supporting infection control efforts in West Africa and internationally.

General Guidance for International Infection Control

• Four Keys to Infection Control
• QA: Infection Control in General Healthcare Settings in Countries with Widespread Ebola Transmission
• Risk of Transmission

Identification and Isolation of PUIs

• Managing Patient Flow During Triage, Isolation, and Care of Patients Under Investigation or with Confirmed Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
• Initial Screening of Patients Within the Healthcare System
• Case Definitions for Evaluating Suspected Ebola Patients

Protecting Patients and Healthcare Workers

• Hand Hygiene
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Recommended for Low Resource Settings
• Limiting Heat Burden While Wearing PPE
  • Poster: Prevent Heat-Related Illness [PDF – 1 page]
  • Training Slides [PPT – 24 pages] for Healthcare Workers and Site Coordinators
• Preventing Injury from Injections and Sharps
• Guidance for Drawing Blood Safely When Caring for Patients Under Investigation or with Confirmed EVD
• Poster: How to Remove Gloves Safely [PDF – 1 page]

Cleaning Up Safely

• Safely Cleaning and Disinfecting Areas Used by Patients Under Investigation (PUIs) or with Confirmed EVD
  • Recommendations for Cleaning Houses in West Africa
• How to Prepare and Use Chlorine Solutions
  • Considerations for Chlorine Use In West Africa

Managing Patients Safely and Compassionately

• Managing Ebola Patients, Their Families, and the Community Safely and Compassionately
• 2014 West Africa Ebola Outbreak Communication Resources
• Guidance for Ambulance Service Providers

• MMWR: Establishment of a Community Care Center for Isolation and Management of Patients-Bomi County, Liberia, October 2014
• MMWR: Control of Ebola Virus Disease – Firestone District, Liberia, 2014
• MMWR: Estimating the Future Number of Cases in the Ebola Epidemic – Liberia and Sierra Leone, 2014-2015
• MMWR: Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak – West Africa, 2014
• Additional MMWR Publications
• JAMA: The Ebola Epidemic: A Global Health Emergency

Preparing Healthcare Workers to Work in Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) in Africa

• Stories From the Field

More

• Cleaning Houses Safely
• Safe Care of the Deceased When Someone Dies at Home [PDF – 1 page]
• Breastfeeding
•  Steps to Protect from Ebola, Care in the Home (Sierra Leone) [PDF – 16 pages]  

• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders): Filovirus Haemorrhagic Fever Guideline, 2008 [PDF – 134pages]
• World Health Organization

• Information for U.S. Healthcare Workers and Facilities
• Infection Control for Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers
• Infection Control Posters (Includes French & Portuguese versions)