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Additional Resources

General Ebola Information

• Ebola Virus Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Emerging Infectious Diseases. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Questions and Answers on Ebola. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Ebola Virus Disease. World Health Organization (WHO).
• Frequently Asked Questions on Ebola Virus Disease. World Health Organization (WHO).
• Information Resources on Ebola Virus Diseases. World Health Organization (WHO).
• Blog post – Eradicating Ebola: In U.S. Biomedical Research, We Trust. Director’s Blog, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Ongoing Ebola Outbreak

• Ebola Outbreaks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Provides up-to-date information about ongoing and historical outbreaks.

General Resources for Workers and Employers

• Bloodborne Infectious Diseases. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Though not specific to Ebola, describes engineering controls and work practices to prevent exposure to blood and other body fluids through which the virus is transmitted.
• Protecting Workers during a Pandemic Fact Sheet. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Provides general guidance about principles of worker protection that may be useful during a wide-spread disease outbreak. Covers social distancing, engineering controls, respiratory protection, and other infection control methods.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Ebola

• PPE Matrix for Occupational Exposure to Ebola Virus. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Provides task-based guidance to help employers select appropriate PPE for workers who may be exposed to Ebola virus in a variety of jobs.
• Brown, C. K., Matthews, D. L., Thomas, R. J., Edens, A. E. (2019). Developing a Personal Protective Equipment Selection Matrix for Preventing Occupational Exposure to Ebola Virus. Health Security, (17)3, 213–228.
• Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) To Be Used By Healthcare Workers during Management of Patients with Confirmed Ebola or Persons under Investigation (PUIs) for Ebola who are Clinically Unstable or Have Bleeding, Vomiting, or Diarrhea in U.S. Hospitals, Including Procedures for Donning and Doffing PPE. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Considerations for U.S Healthcare Facilities to Ensure Adequate Supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Ebola Preparedness. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Cleaning and Decontamination

• Cleaning and Decontamination of Ebola on Surfaces Fact Sheet. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Also available in Spanish. Provides guidance on protecting workers in non-healthcare/non-laboratory settings from exposure to Ebola virus, and from harmful levels of chemicals used for cleaning and disinfection.
• List L - Disinfectants for Use Against the Ebola Virus. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Information on Cleaning and Decontamination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Interim Guidance for the U.S. Residence Decontamination for Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola) and Removal of Contaminated Waste. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Information for Healthcare Workers and Employers

• Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) To Be Used By Healthcare Workers during Management of Patients with Confirmed Ebola or Persons under Investigation (PUIs) for Ebola who are Clinically Unstable or Have Bleeding, Vomiting, or Diarrhea in U.S. Hospitals, Including Procedures for Donning and Doffing PPE. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Tightened Guidance for U.S. Healthcare Workers on Personal Protective Equipment for Ebola Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients Under Investigation (PUIs) for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in U.S. Hospitals. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Guidance on Air Medical Transport for Patients with Ebola Virus Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Interim Guidance for Environmental Infection Control in Hospitals for Ebola Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Preventing Worker Fatigue Among Ebola Healthcare Workers and Responders. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) & Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Provides information about protecting workers from fatigue related to long work hours, shift work, and enhanced personal protective equipment associated with working with Ebola cases and in Ebola-contaminated environments.
• Infection Control for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers in the African Health Care Setting. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Ebola Preparedness Protocols. Emory Healthcare / Emory University Hospital.
• PPE donning and doffing posters: High Level (N95 filtering facepiece and faceshield) or PAPR Level. University of Nebraska Medical Center.
• Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Care of Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Filovirus Haemorrhagic Fever in Health-Care Settings, with Focus on Ebola. World Health Organization (WHO).

Information for Airline, Airport, and Other Transportation Workers and Employers

• Preventing Spread of Disease on Commercial Aircraft: Guidance for Cabin Crew. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Guidance for Airlines on Reporting Onboard Deaths or Illnesses to CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Factsheet for Airline Customer Service Representatives. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Factsheet for Airport Retail and Food Service Workers. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Factsheet for Airport Passenger Assistance Workers. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Factsheet for Airport Custodial Staff. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Factsheet for Airport Baggage and Cargo Handlers. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Guidance for managing ill onboard passengers. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Information for Mortuary & Death Care Workers and Employers

• Guidance for Safe Handling of Human Remains of Ebola Patients in U. S. Hospitals and Mortuaries. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Information for Laboratory Workers and Employers

• Guidance for Collection, Transport and Submission of Specimens for Ebola Virus Testing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Kortepeter, M. G., Martin, J. W., Rusnak, J. M., Cieslak, T. J., Warfield, K. L., Anderson, E. L., & Ranadive, M. V. (2008). Managing Potential Laboratory Exposure to Ebola Virus by Using a Patient Biocontainment Care Unit. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 14(6), 881.
• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), 5th Edition. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Features the most recent guidance on protecting workers in laboratory environments. The following sections may be of particularly relevance to employers and workers regarding Ebola:
  • Section VII – Occupational Health and Immunoprophylaxis
  • Section VIII - E – Viral Agents Agent Summary
• Biosafety Laboratory Competency Guidelines. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 15 April 2011, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Describes competencies involved with understanding the hazards in a laboratory setting.

Information for Emergency Responders and Emergency Response Employers

• Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for Management of Patients Under Investigation (PUIs) for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Preventing Worker Fatigue Among Ebola Healthcare Workers and Responders. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) & Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Provides information about protecting workers from fatigue related to long work hours, shift work, and enhanced personal protective equipment associated with working with Ebola cases and in Ebola-contaminated environments.

Information for Waste Handling Workers and Employers

• Managing Solid Waste Contaminated with a Category A Infectious Substance. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT); U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Department of Defense (DoD); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), (August 2019). Provides consolidated, interagency guidance for employers and workers on best practices for safe waste handling throughout the waste cycle, from the point of waste generation through final disposition of treated waste products.
• Safe Handling, Treatment, Transport and Disposal of Ebola-Contaminated Waste. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Environmental Protection Agency. Provides Ebola-specific waste management guidance for employers and workers.
• Ebola-Associated Waste Management. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Information on the Survivability of the Ebola Virus in Medical Waste. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• Interim Guidance for Managers and Workers Handling Untreated Sewage from Individuals with Ebola in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Monitoring and Surveillance

• National Bioforensic Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC). U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Provides information about a highly sophisticated laboratory that conducts specialized work in bioforensic analysis. Located at Ft. Detrick, MD, this laboratory is the designated federal facility to conduct and facilitate technical forensic analysis and interpretation of materials recovered following a BW/BT attack.
• U.S. Quarantine Stations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Comprehensive system that serves to limit the introduction and spread of contagious diseases in the United States.
• Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). DGMQ quarantine stations work to detect and respond to ill travelers who have serious diseases of public health interest, including Ebola. Stations are located at points of entry (e.g., international airports) and are designed to help prevent arriving travelers from spreading diseases within the U.S.

Morbidity and Mortality Reporting Tools

• Guidance for Airlines on Reporting Onboard Deaths or Illnesses to CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).