Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Infection Control Protocols for Ebola |
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rickster58
Moderator Joined: March 09 2009 Location: Sydney Status: Offline Points: 4875 |
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Posted: July 29 2014 at 9:47pm |
I wanted to start this thread, with aim of ensuring those who were inclined, could prepare their own homes with the necessary items to deal with infection control around Ebola transmissions.
With the wealth of knowledge here this thread could help many. Chuck, as our infection control expert, I'm hoping you will be able to provide some very valuable information. |
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rickster58
Moderator Joined: March 09 2009 Location: Sydney Status: Offline Points: 4875 |
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I can find very little online regarding infection protocols for dealing with Ebola. There must be recommended cleaning protocols.
Do chlorine based cleaners kill Ebola or do you have to go to something like Rely-On? |
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onefluover
Admin Group Joined: April 21 2013 Location: Death Valleyish Status: Offline Points: 20151 |
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As far as I know, and I am by no means an expert but I know some, nothing, save prions, survives in chlorine. Not even hepatitis spores which are generally not as fragile as they are spores like a walnut shell. The heat and pressure of autoclaving cracks and thereby destroys the spore and is the only approved method not because chlorine bleach doesn't do the trick but because in instruments, chlorine is not guaranteed to penetrate into hidden nooks and crannies of many instruments. Ebola being a filamentous virus (-look at the earlier posted photos. It looks like thread), I would think it would actually be quite fragile to a number of cidals.
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"And then there were none."
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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The best approach is to avoid any kind of contact in the first place. Universal precautions means you make the assumption that everyone is contagious, and act accordingly.
Ebola needs a way in - shared needles, broken skin, mucous membranes and to a certain extent, inhaled droplets. If you're sharing needles, you're on your own and deserve what you get. Droplet transmission is not one I would worry about too much unless you put yourself in close proximity to a victim coughing up sputum, or hemorrhaging from their lungs. And gloves and/or band-aids take care of any broken skin. Mucous membrane transmission is something I would be concerned about though, mainly because of how often we touch our face. Hand to face transmission is a definitely possibility - touch a contaminated fomite like a handrail or door knob, or shake hands with an infected person and then rub your eyes or touch your nose/mouth and you put yourself at significant risk with any pathogen, not just Ebola. And in many ways, wearing gloves can make things worse because it instills a false sense of security, and people tend to leave them on too long and contaminate other surfaces. Handwashing with soap and water using proper technique is a habit you definitely want to cultivate. Cleaning surfaces with a 1:100 bleach solution should be sufficient, but be aware that you need to get them glistening wet and allow them to air dry, and the solution is only good for 24 hours in an opaque covered container. It might not seem enough, but don't be tempted to increase the concentration - you don't want to be exposed to anything much stronger than 1:100 in an enclosed setting because the fumes can be unpleasant at best, and dangerous at worst. Also, UV light kills viruses so outdoor surfaces should in theory be safer than covered ones. That's all I can think of now - I'm sure Chuck has a lot more he can contribute to this thread. |
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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E J
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Hi Everyone
I just started with a company selling a product named Perisept. This is a sporicidal disinfectant cleaner that kills C- Diff, Norovirus and 50 other diseases in 2-minutes. I am going to talk to my chemist tomorrow about the efficacy on Ebola. This is a hydrogen peroxide peracetic acid based product. I am no expert on infectious diseases but I know that the C-Diff spore is extremely hard. I was wondering if the IC expert on this blog would know if a product like Perisept could help in the event of a breakout . |
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CRS, DrPH
Expert Level Adviser Joined: January 20 2014 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 26660 |
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I wish you well! The healthcare community has long been searching for viable answers to persistent pathogens in spore forms (C. Difficile) or non-capsulated viruses (norovirus). We use peracetic acid for disinfection in the dairy industry, it is good stuff. I'm familiar with work done with the hydrogen peroxide + peracetic acid combination, please see: Regarding Ebola, I don't think this is a particularly hardy type of virus or one that persists for long when exposed to the environment (moisture, sunlight etc.). I don't believe any of us in the USA or Europe (or NZ or Oz etc.) have much to worry about with Ebola, personally. As an infectious disease specialist, I find this to be a fascinating outbreak to safely observe from afar for its ecological and sociological aspects. I regret very much the loss of life, as much of this could be avoided, but we are dealing with ingrained cultural mores. As we have discussed, there is little incentive for big pharma to develop treatments/vaccines for an illness that is unlikely to break out of the tropics. Here, this is good....I read stuff like this before I go to bed in order to relax!! (I ain't joking!) Biological agents that are of lesser concern for decontamination include agents such as the Ebola virus. While Ebola is highly contagious, deadly, and difficult to treat, the virus does not survive well in the environment. Thus, extensive decontamination efforts would likely be unnecessary following an attack involving Ebola. |
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CRS, DrPH
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arirish
Admin Group Joined: June 19 2013 Location: Arkansas Status: Offline Points: 39215 |
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Chuck- That's a good read but not really my kind of bedtime story!
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Buy more ammo!
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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I've come across that one too - hydrogen peroxide/peracetic acid is widely used to disinfect dialysis equipment.
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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Nick
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Good Stuff
I would like to see a set of protocols for joe public ( Me ) to follow to keep me home safe. And aset for what to do when I leave home, and when I get back home. As well as how to handle the things I bring into mt "Clean" home, like groceries. These rpotocols probably need to be at different levels too. Like where we are now w Ebola, and what to do if we find ourselves in the center of a full blown pandemic. I will follow this discission in hopes that you all can actually come up with viable answers to those questions. Best to you all and thank you. Nick |
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