RESUMO
We report 77 cases of occupational exposures for 57 healthcare workers at the Ebola Treatment Center in Conakry, Guinea, during the Ebola virus disease outbreak in 2014-2015. Despite the high incidence of 3.5 occupational exposures/healthcare worker/year, only 18% of workers were at high risk for transmission, and no infections occurred.
Assuntos
Ebolavirus , Pessoal de Saúde , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/epidemiologia , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola/transmissão , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Guiné/epidemiologia , Humanos , Incidência , Estudos ProspectivosRESUMO
The extent of thermal strain while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) during care activities for Ebola virus disease patients has not yet been characterized. From January to March 2015, 25 French healthcare workers (HCWs) in Conakry, Guinea, volunteered to be monitored while wearing PPE using an ingestible thermal sensor. The mean (standard deviation) working ambient temperature and relative humidity were 29.6 °C (2.0 °C) and 65.4% (10.3%), respectively; the mean time wearing PPE was 65.7 (13.5) minutes; and the mean core body temperature increased by 0.46 °C (0.20 °C). Four HCWs reached or exceeded a mean core body temperature of ≥ 38.5 °C. HCWs wearing PPE for approximately 1 hour exhibited moderate but safe thermal strain.
Assuntos
Temperatura Corporal/fisiologia , Surtos de Doenças , Pessoal de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Doença pelo Vírus Ebola , Equipamento de Proteção Individual , Estresse Fisiológico/fisiologia , Adulto , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Guiné , Frequência Cardíaca/fisiologia , Temperatura Alta , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Monitorização Ambulatorial/métodos , Termometria/métodosRESUMO
Ebola patients frequently exhibit behavioral modifications with ideation slowing and aggressiveness, sometimes contrasting with mild severity of Ebola disease. We performed lumbar punctures in 3 patients with this presentation and found Ebola virus in all cerebrospinal fluid samples. This discovery helps to discuss the concept of a specific Ebola virus encephalitis.