Sterilisation and Disinfection, Ebola Flashcards
What are the reservoir hosts for Ebola?
Bats
When are contact precautions used?
For infections that are transmitted by direct or indirect contact
What other virus that causes haemorrhagic fever is Ebola related to?
Marburg
How far do droplets travel?
Maximum of 1m
What is the major diagnostic used for Ebola?
PCR
When and where was Ebola first identified?
Zaire in 1976
What are the common solutions used for skin preps?
Alcohol and chlorhexidine
Alcohol and iodine
Does transmission of Ebola occur outside of clinical illness?
Only sexual transmission (after ~6 weeks after curing)
What are the current treatments in use?
Fluid and electrolyte control
Blood transfusions from recovered patients
Monoclonal antibodies (Zmapp)
SIR (will be trialled shortly)
What objects should be the focus of the cleaning process?
High touch areas
Equipment that has touched patients
What is an example of a semi-critical object?
GI endoscope
Why is an Ebola vaccine viable?
Neutralising antibodies arise to the virus
How does the pattern of the current outbreak differ from previous ones?
Where previous been in remote and isolated areas with poor access to healthcare, the current outbreak has spread to significant population centres
When are standard precaution in use?
With all patients, all the time
Why might the current estimated case fatality rate be an overestimation?
Because milder cases aren’t presenting to the overloaded healthcare facilities
What type of virus is Ebola?
Filovirus
SS-RNA
What are the symptoms of Ebola?
Fever
Headache
Muscle pains
Diarrhoea and vomitting
Abdo pain
Maculopapular/haemorrhagic rash
What is the difference betwen sterilisation and disinfection?
Sterilisation is removing all viable organisms including spores
Disinfection is eliminating many or all-pathogenic microbes with the exception of spores
How big are droplets in size?
>5micrometres
What are airborne precautions?
N95 mask
Negative pressure ventilation
Single room with door closed
When do haemorrhagic symptoms present?
Late in infection
How is Ebola transmitted?
Direct contact with bodily fluids that enter through broken skin and mucous membranes
Sexual
(NO AIRBORNE)
When do Ebola symptoms start?
2-21 after infection
Does Ebola persist on fomites?
No
What three pathogens can become airborne?
TB
Measles
Varicella
