We recently learned that Senegal has been hit by the Ebola epidemic outbreak in Africa. This makes Senegal the sixth country affected by the epidemic. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta (CDC), said that the epidemic has a high chance of degenerating and that the outbreak may quickly spread outside Africa1. Appealing for international aid, the scientific community is now seeing the epidemic on the verge of becoming an unprecedented pandemic.
Are we ready to deal with a global pandemic of Ebola?
Western public health agencies are meant reassuring. Our hospitals are better equipped to deal with potential cases. The Quebec ministry of health issued a policy of transparency and now discloses suspected cases in Quebec on its web site.
What to do to prevent the spread of Ebola virus in your institute?
Quebec Hospitals can refer to the official guide written by l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec. This fact sheet sets out the recommendations of the Comité sur les infections nosocomiales du Québec (CINQ) for Ebola virus disease prevention and control measures for Quebec hospitals. This document may be found here.
- Use a 5% bleach solution (sodium hypochlorite) with a concentration of 5000 ppm to disinfect surfaces or objects contaminated by blood or other body fluids.
- Use a 5000 ppm chlorine solution for the final disinfection.
Disinfection is, therefore, more than ever critical for limiting the spread of infection. The quality of the product is critical. Ebola is generally considered the world’s most dangerous viruses. Might as well use the best disinfectant!
1. http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/emerging-diseases/news/online/%7Bbb2c88ec-5c61-491e-8e94-c726cc1e795b%7D/cdc-ebola-case-numbers-likely-to-increase-significantly