Occupationally acquired infections in health care workers
Citation: Sepkowitz KA. Occupationally acquired infections in health care workers: part II. Annals of internal medicine. 1996 Dec 1;125(11):917-28.
(available on request)
Summary: This large review includes research on blood-borne diseases including Ebola, noted as having a high exposure-attack rate, most affecting nurses among those providing care.
Ebola is noted as having a high exposure-attack rate, most affects and kills nurses among healthcare workers, in the Zaire outbreak of 1995 a 79% death rate included at least 90 (32%) healthcare workers, a similar pattern to a 1979 outbreak in Sudan. Recommended universal precautions include the use of strict barrier protection, restriction of workers and visitors, and the use of negative-pressure ventilation in the presence of respiratory symptoms.