Here’s How to Remove Ebola Waste From a Hospital

When treating Ebola patients, hospitals have more than their patients and workers to protect. It’s their responsibility to properly dispose of anything involved in caring for the patients that might be contaminated—and that includes liquid waste, protective equipment, anything used in the lab, linens, towels, pillows, mattresses and even the curtains used in the patient’s room… (read more)

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WHO says Liberia wrongly added 1,000 deaths to Ebola toll

Dec 1 (Reuters) – A surge in Ebola deaths reported by the World Health Organization at the weekend was due to about 1,000 Liberian deaths wrongly ascribed to the disease that would be removed, WHO assistant director general Bruce Aylward said on Monday. “Liberia’s figures came in but they’ve since said these were actually non-Ebola deaths that were reported as part of our Ebola deaths and we will be taking them off. So...

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No serious side effects in Ebola vaccine test

(Reuters) – The first people vaccinated with an experimental Ebola shot being developed by Merck and NewLink have had no serious side effects so far, but a few experienced mild fever, Swiss researchers said on Tuesday. The shot, one of several being fast-tracked through clinical trials in the hope they can be approved for use in the Ebola epidemic raging in West Africa, is undergoing initial human safety tests at the University Hospitals...

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WHO congratulates Spain on ending Ebola transmission

Today the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declares the Ebola outbreak in Spain over and commends the country on its diligence to end transmission of the virus. On 6 October 2014, the Spanish National Reference Laboratory confirmed the first human-to-human transmission of Ebola virus disease outside Africa in a healthcare worker. The healthcare worker had been part of a team at La Paz-Carlos III Hospital providing medical care for a...

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Ebola is crippling the economies of three countries

The international response to Ebola is still too slow and piecemeal, Doctors Without Borders warned Tuesday, as officials said the disease is crippling the economies of the three West African countries hardest hit. Ebola has infected nearly 17,000 people, of which about 6,000 have died, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of infections are in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, poor countries that have been left to handle...

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Strategies for Fighting Ebola

Where do we stand in the fight against Ebola — and what should be done now? Columbia is convening leading experts — from the University and other institutions – to recommend and discuss specific strategies to: Arrest the transmission of the virus and accelerate the delivery of needed care. Marshal the financial resources – and the health care personnel – required to address the crisis. Mobilize and coordinate international, national,...

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Obama to push Congress for more money to fight Ebola

President Obama will visit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Tuesday to praise doctors completing preliminary critical trials of an Ebola vaccine and to push members of Congress to quickly approve new funding to fight the virus the administration has requested. Mr. Obama asked Congress to approve an extra $6.18 billion in emergency funding on November 5, the day after the midterm elections. In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio,...

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CDC: More Than 1,400 People in U.S. Being Actively Monitored for Ebola

The killer virus Ebola may not be front and center in the news, but it’s still in the forefront of efforts by health officials nationwide. As of today, more than 1,400 people in 44 states in the U.S. are being actively monitored by state and local health departments after returning from West Africa. The good news is that no new cases have been reported in the U.S. since Oct. 23. Responding to a public outcry, the Department of Homeland Security...

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