Protection from Ebola What it is, how to prevent contagion and what protection to choose

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The Ebola virus: its nature, how it spreads and how dangerous it is

Ebola is a virus belonging to the Filoviridae family, which is extremely virulent to humans and causes hemorrhagic fever. The first strain of this virus was discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).

Four strains of the virus have been located so far, three of them lethal to humans. Since being discovered, the Ebola virus has been responsible for a great number of deaths. The virus was most probably transmitted to humans from infected animals. The virus is spread by people coming into contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected individuals.

Ebola appears to be a zoonotic virus hosted by lowland gorilla populations in Central Africa.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is potentially lethal and encompasses a range of symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, generalised pain or discomfort and sometimes internal and external bleeding. The mortality rate ranges from 50 to 89% depending on the strain of virus and a vaccine treatment is under development. The cause of death is usually hypovolaemic shock or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

It is not entirely clear how the Ebola virus is spread. It is believed that Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) can occur after the virus has been transmitted to someone who has come into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected animal. Transmission from person to person seems to occur through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person (including the practice of embalming a infected person after death) or by contact with

contaminated medical equipment, especially needles and syringes.  Even contact with the skin or mucous membranes appears to be a possible transmission route. 

In those who survive the disease, semen remains contagious for up to 50 days after clinical recovery. Transmission resulting from oral and conjunctival exposure is highly likely and has been confirmed in some non-human primates.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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Preventing contagion: efficacy barriers Different types of Ebola virus are contagious; prevention includes any measures that help reduce the spread of disease from infected monkeys and pigs to humans. Preventative measures, therefore, include meticulous examination of these animals for any transmission of possible infection, as well as the slaughter and proper disposal of the carcasses in the event of tests for the disease proving positive. There are also other forms of prevention which involve changes in behaviour on the part of the various parties involved, the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (e.g. wearing protective clothing when handling meat), disinfection and a whole series of techniques aimed at avoiding infection by preventing anyone from coming into contact with infected blood or secretions, including that from dead animals. Further measures that have proved to be highly beneficial are cooking meat properly, disinfection and frequent hand washing when taking care of a sick person. Putting these measures into practice entails a high degree of wariness and the ability to diagnose the disease early. Standard precautions must be used for all patients who are in healthcare facilities such as nursing homes, field hospitals, isolation wards etc. The recommended measures for those taking care of infected persons include isolation, sterilisation of equipment and the use of appropriate protective clothing and masks, gloves, gowns and eye protection. Bodily fluids and tissue samples from people suffering from the disease should be treated with particular caution. As already mentioned, hand washing is important, but it can be difficult to put into practice in areas where there is not even enough drinking water. In the early stages of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, even simple infection control materials such as soap were in short supply. For this reason, in such exceptional circumstances of soap shortages in an emergency, the WHO has promoted the use of alternative materials such as clean ash or even sand. The Ebola virus can be eliminated using heat (heating at 60° C for a period of 30 to 60 minutes or boiling for about 5 minutes). On surfaces that are suspected to be infected, some lipid solvents may be used as disinfectants, for example some alcohol-based products, detergents, sodium hypochlorite (bleach) or calcium hypochlorite (bleaching powder) and other suitable disinfectants, at appropriate concentrations.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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Biological Protection: standard EN14126

EN14126 is the standard which brings together all the tests and procedures for determining resistance to microbiological pathogens. It includes a series of tests and an evaluation of each result, using a scale in which 1 means passing the test with minimum requirements and 6 (or 3 in some cases) means passing the test with maximum scores. For evaluating the properties and requirements of Personal Protective Equipment against biological hazards, the following 5 tests have been identified as representative of the major risk situations that may arise: – Blood resistance (ISO 16603)

– Resistance to bloodborne pathogens (ISO 16604)

– Resistance to the bacterial penetration by contact (ISO 22610)

– Resistance to contaminated aerosols (ISO 22611)

– Resistance to contaminated particles (ISO 22612)

Depending on their test performance, materials are classified as follows:

Blood Pathogens Contact Aerosols Dust

Best 20 KPa 20 KPa t >75 min. log > 5 log cfu ≤1

Good 14 KPa 14 KPa 60< t ≤75 min.

Fair 7 KPa 7 KPa 45 < t ≤ 60 min. 3< Log ≤5 1< log cfu ≤2

3.5 KPa 3.5 KPa 30 < t ≤ 45 min.

Poor 1.75 KPa 1.75 KPa 15 < t ≤ 30 min. 1< Log ≤3 2< log cfu ≤3

0 KPa 0 KPa t ≤ 15 min.

As there is considerable variability in performance, Indutex welcomes enquiries for further information about resistance to biological agents, to ensure that the materials’ performance is adequate for the work to be undertaken.

As regards exposure to the Ebola virus, Indutex recommends garments ranked “Best” in the table above, i.e. those that have few or no exposure limitations.

All garments and accessories in the Sprayguard®, Cleanguard®, Jetguard®, Jetguard® PLUS, Jetguard® Xtreme, Gasguard® T2, Gasguard® T2 Xtreme e Gasguard® T1 ranges fall under this class of protection. Also included are garments manufactured with Tychem® C and Tychem® F DuPont as raw materials.

“Recommended measures for those taking care of infected persons include the use of appropriate protective clothing”.

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Cleanguard® Sterile Kit A kit consisting of coveralls with mandarin collar, hood with integral mask and footwear with non-slip soles. Category 3 type 4-b (protection from aerosols). Level of biological protection: “Best” (see table).

Jetguard® Apron Apron with bib, fastened at the rear. Protective accessory Category 3 type PB[3]-b (partial protection against jets of liquid). Level of biological protection: “Best” (see table).

Sprayguard® coveralls Coveralls with hood, elasticated at the wrists, waist and ankles. Also available with socks and boot-cover flaps or with integral footwear. Category 3 type 4-b (protection from aerosols). Level of biological protection: “Best” (see table).

Jetguard® coveralls Coveralls with hood, elasticated at the wrists, waist and ankles. Also available with socks and boot-cover flaps or with integral footwear. Category 3 type 3-b (protection against jets of liquid). Level of biological protection: “Best” (see table).

Miscellaneous accessories

Miscellaneous accessories such as Protective Gloves, Goggles and Masks are also available from Indutex to complete the outfit.

The Indutex S.p.A. range for protection from the Ebola virus

Indutex has a wide range of clothing and accessories for biological protection and some examples are listed here.

Proud to Protect Everyone

Via S.Francesco 8/10 Corbetta, MI 20011

www.indutexspa.com