Personal Protective Equipment for Use in a Filovirus Disease Outbreak

Filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg) are highly contagious pathogens which cause severe and often fatal illness in humans. Health workers are at increased risk of infection with these viruses because of their close and prolonged contact with severely ill patients with a high viral load. The risk of transmission of Ebola virus can be reduced if appropriate measures are taken, including the use of personal protective equipment. The West African Ebola outbreak taught public health planners important lessons about how best to protect those providing clinical care. These lessons--of what works, what does not, what is most practical and effective--have been collated, assessed by experts in clinical care and infection control and form the basis for these recommendations. This is an important step forward in evidence-based protection and safety for health care delivery during outbreaks.