Recently, a Swedish hospital was reminded of the critical need for Ebola preparedness. A patient arrived at the Skane University Hospital on September 30, 2019, running a high fever after traveling in a region of Africa stricken by Ebola. The hospital placed the patient in isolation after discovering the patient’s travel history to an area where Ebola is present, and a fever.

The World Health Organization has declared the Congo’s Ebola Epidemic as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The committee sited recent developments where the first confirmed Ebola case occurred in Goma, a heavily populated provincial capital in the Democratic Republic of Congo with an airport with international flights. It is the second-largest Ebola… Read more »

“This is the most complicated setting we’ve ever experienced in order to stop an Ebola outbreak,” said Peter Salama, WHO deputy director-general for emergency preparedness and response. “At a minimum, it will take six further months to stop.”

Most hospitals in the United States were not prepared for the outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in 2014, with 71 percent of hospital administrators reporting that their facilities were unprepared to receive Ebola patients. By 2017, administrators from only 14 percent of hospitals reported their facilities were still unprepared for emerging infectious disease (EID) threats such as Ebola. Hospital actions to improve preparedness included updating emergency plans, training staff to care for patients with EIDs, purchasing additional supplies, and conducting EID-focused drills.

Kinnos Inc.’s flagship technology, Highlight®, is now being stocked by DQE for first response and emergency preparedness. Highlight®, a powder additive for bleach solutions, colorizes and increases the wettability of the disinfectant to ensure full coverage, and then fades in color to transparent to indicate when the contact time has been met and decontamination is complete. Highlight® has previously been used in Liberia and Guinea for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and is currently used by first responders, biosafety and healthcare professionals, and non-government organizations for training and routine decontamination.