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CDC Announces New Ebola Guidelines
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidelines (Al Jazeera) for treating Ebola on Monday
night. The regulations call for a site manager to supervise healthcare
workers when putting on and removing protective gear. Healthcare workers
are also required to wear head-to-toe gear (Reuters)
with no skin exposure, undergo special training, and show competency in
using protective equipment. U.S. emergency doctors say that with proper
protocols in place, there is no need to panic over the spread of Ebola.
Analysis
"We
cannot be a country ruled by fear. We must care for those in need. But a
few hospitals cannot combat this public health threat alone. We need government leadership
to provide the resources necessary to implement a coordinated, scalable
national plan. It can be done," writes John T. Fox in the Washington Post.
"The
fear and panic could place further constraints on government capacity
to tackle the public health emergency. Worse, the associated social
distancing measures, in conjunction with the government anti-Ebola
interventions, could have substantial negative economic impacts in the
United States. […] Americans may be overreacting to the threat of Ebola,
but that overreaction is understandable.
When planning further Ebola control measures, the Obama administration
has to seriously take this fear factor into account," writes CFR's
Yanzhong Huang.
"[Ebola] is a frightening disease. […] But Americans need to relax.
We need to be realistic. The real problem is not one, two cases here in
the United States. The real problem is that this epidemic is completely
out of control in Africa," said CFR's Laurie Garrett on NBC's Meet the
Press. | 
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