CDC Reminds U.S. Clinicians of Ebola Guidance Amid African Outbreaks

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD

The CDC on Tuesday issued an alert to remind U.S. clinicians about the agency's guidelines on identifying and managing Ebola virus disease (EVD), given the ongoing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea.

Among the points emphasized in the alert:

• Healthcare facilities should ask patients about international travel and document this information in the medical record so that clinicians are aware of the potential for communicable infections, including viral hemorrhagic fevers.

• There is separate personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance for managing clinically stable people under investigation for EVD and for managing those who are clinically unstable or have confirmed EVD (see links below).

• The CDC's PPE calculator can help facilities estimate the appropriate amount of PPE to have to manage patients with suspected or confirmed EVD (again, see link below).