MOSCOW, October 9 (RIA Novosti) – US hospitals have started training sessions to prepare health workers heading to West Africa to fight the Ebola outbreak on Wednesday, CBS News reported.
Medical personnel in protective yellow suits, helmets, gloves, apron, goggles and boots looked more like astronauts, than healthcare professionals undergoing training sessions to put on and take off protective suits. Nonetheless, learning how to safely put the medical “armor” will prove to be a crucial skill for medical professionals to have, considering increasing cases of health workers getting infected with Ebola, Japan Times said.
More than 230 health workers have already died after contracting Ebola, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
It is estimated that as many as 10,000 health workers are needed in Liberia alone to effectively combat Ebola, the Wall Street Journal said.
The U.S. government said it would deliver 130,000 sets of personal protective equipment, two additional mobile lab units [one is already in Liberia], and train up to 500 health workers per week, Time informs.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, and knowing how to use the protective gear can be vital for health workers.
“At least with Ebola we have a fighting chance”, said Dr. Dino Rumero at Rush University Medical Center. “I know that it is coming from body fluids and I know if I wear my [protective] suit I’m safe and I know if I don’t stick myself with a needle or cut myself with a scalpel I’m safe”, Rumero added, as quoted by Japan Times.
