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WHO pulls staff from Sierra Leone Ebola lab after doctor infected
The WHO said it had withdrawn staff from the laboratory testing for Ebola at Kailahun – one of only two in Sierra Leone – after a Senegalese epidemiologist was infected with Ebola.
“It’s a temporary measure to take care of the welfare of our remaining workers,” WHO spokeswoman Christy Feig said, without specifying how long the measure would last. “After our assessment, they will return.”
Feig said she could not assess what impact the withdrawal of WHO staff would have on the fight against Ebola in the Kailahun, the area hardest hit by the disease.
The infected Senegalese medic – the first worker deployed by the WHO to be infected – will be moved out of Sierra Leone in the coming days, Feig said. He is currently being treated at a government hospital in the eastern town of Kenema.
Just as a comment, here in the UK the NHS seem happy to treat any samples from possible, probably and even CONFIRMED Ebola cases in Cat 2 containment, not even CL3 never mind CL4. Strange.
Below is a quote taken from NHS UK Viral haemorrhagic fever algorithm and guidance on management of patients. ( link at bottom of post.to full guidelines which.gives every step of dealing with patient, from containment, to treatment, to transporting etc etc...every bit is dealt as a Cat 4 biohazard. Full protective gear double pairs of gloves for the medics and nurses collecting the samples etc.... However when it comes to the poor lab staff it is Cat 2, I.e. on the bench with single pair of gloves, doing blood films to exclude malaria while waiting on confirmation of Ebola etc.....even in confirmed cases basic bloods etc done while waiting for transfer. To be processed as Cat 2...very very strange.
Quote:
Specimens *from *a *patient *categorised *as *‘high *possibility *of *VHF.
The overall risk to laboratory workers from specimens from this category of patient is also considered to be low, and specimens may continue to be processed (for the restricted list of investigations – see algorithm) at containment level 2 in routine autoanalysers. Waste from these machines is not considered to pose a significant risk because of the small sample size and dilution step and will therefore require no special waste disposal precautions.
Procedures must be in place for the effective management of spillages (see Appendix 10). A sealed centrifuge bucket or rotor should be used for centrifugation procedures that are being undertaken manually i.e. not within an autoanalyser.
6. For *specimens *categorised *as *‘high *possibility *of *VHF’ *laboratory *staff *should be informed so that original patient specimens can be retained and provision made for disposal as category A waste in the event that VHF is subsequently confirmed.
7. Blood film slides for malaria testing should be disposed of in a dedicated sharps bin, which should be retained and processed as category A waste in the event that VHF is subsequently confirmed in any of the samples. After use, the work surfaces should be treated with 1,000 ppm available chlorine (see Appendix 10).
Specimens from a patient with confirmed VHF 8. The number of patients with a positive VHF screen in the UK is very low (~1-2 cases every two years). In most cases, patients with a positive VHFviral-haemorrhagic-fever-algorithm-and-guidance-on-management-of-patients screen will be transferred to an HLIU and specimens will be analysed at the dedicated HLIU laboratory. However, where transfer is delayed or considered inadvisable, the specimens may be processed in a containment level 2 laboratory using routine autoanalysers
The WHO said it had withdrawn staff from the laboratory testing for Ebola at Kailahun – one of only two in Sierra Leone – after a Senegalese epidemiologist was infected with Ebola.
“It’s a temporary measure to take care of the welfare of our remaining workers,” WHO spokeswoman Christy Feig said, without specifying how long the measure would last. “After our assessment, they will return.”
Feig said she could not assess what impact the withdrawal of WHO staff would have on the fight against Ebola in the Kailahun, the area hardest hit by the disease.
The infected Senegalese medic – the first worker deployed by the WHO to be infected – will be moved out of Sierra Leone in the coming days, Feig said. He is currently being treated at a government hospital in the eastern town of Kenema.
Just as a comment, here in the UK the NHS seem happy to treat any samples from possible, probably and even CONFIRMED Ebola cases in Cat 2 containment, not even CL3 never mind CL4. Strange.
Below is a quote taken from NHS UK Viral haemorrhagic fever algorithm and guidance on management of patients. ( link at bottom of post.to full guidelines which.gives every step of dealing with patient, from containment, to treatment, to transporting etc etc...every bit is dealt as a Cat 4 biohazard. Full protective gear double pairs of gloves for the medics and nurses collecting the samples etc.... However when it comes to the poor lab staff it is Cat 2, I.e. on the bench with single pair of gloves, doing blood films to exclude malaria while waiting on confirmation of Ebola etc.....even in confirmed cases basic bloods etc done while waiting for transfer. To be processed as Cat 2...very very strange.
Quote:
Specimens *from *a *patient *categorised *as *‘high *possibility *of *VHF.
The overall risk to laboratory workers from specimens from this category of patient is also considered to be low, and specimens may continue to be processed (for the restricted list of investigations – see algorithm) at containment level 2 in routine autoanalysers. Waste from these machines is not considered to pose a significant risk because of the small sample size and dilution step and will therefore require no special waste disposal precautions.
Procedures must be in place for the effective management of spillages (see Appendix 10). A sealed centrifuge bucket or rotor should be used for centrifugation procedures that are being undertaken manually i.e. not within an autoanalyser.
6. For *specimens *categorised *as *‘high *possibility *of *VHF’ *laboratory *staff *should be informed so that original patient specimens can be retained and provision made for disposal as category A waste in the event that VHF is subsequently confirmed.
7. Blood film slides for malaria testing should be disposed of in a dedicated sharps bin, which should be retained and processed as category A waste in the event that VHF is subsequently confirmed in any of the samples. After use, the work surfaces should be treated with 1,000 ppm available chlorine (see Appendix 10).
Specimens from a patient with confirmed VHF 8. The number of patients with a positive VHF screen in the UK is very low (~1-2 cases every two years). In most cases, patients with a positive VHFviral-haemorrhagic-fever-algorithm-and-guidance-on-management-of-patients screen will be transferred to an HLIU and specimens will be analysed at the dedicated HLIU laboratory. However, where transfer is delayed or considered inadvisable, the specimens may be processed in a containment level 2 laboratory using routine autoanalysers
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