Dr. Sanjay Gupta demonstrated using chocolate sauce how easy it can be for healthcare workers to contract Ebola while tending to a patient, even while wearing the proper protective gear.
On Tuesday, Gupta donned the gown, gloves, mask, and face shield the CDC recommends for Ebola treatment for the
CNN segment. Once fully suited up, an assistant poured chocolate sauce into his gloved hands.
"Here's where'd be the most likely contaminated areas: my gloves, and maybe the front of my gown," he said, spreading the chocolate on the front of his hands and torso. The dark sauce, which represented the bodily fluids of the infected patient, was highly visible on the blue and white uniform.
Even after minimal smudging, Gupta shows that it's fairly easy to get the sauce on the skin in the course of removing the gear. The particular point of weakness: the latex gloves.
While rolling the gloves off, Gupta's left hand smeared a small amount of sauce on his opposite forearm and hand. When reaching up to take off the mask, Gupta inadvertently touches his neck, spreading the sauce further.
The same day that Gupta did his demonstration, Amber Vinson became the second healthcare worker who treated Liberian Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan to be diagnosed herself.
On Wednesday,
The New York Times reported on the various levels of protective suiting used by healthcare workers with dealing with a threat like Ebola.
It showed that the CDC's recommendation was several levels below the suiting required by various hospitals across the nation, suggesting the CDC's recommendation was inadequate. Echoing Gupta's demonstration, part of the article addressed "the difficult process of removing protective gear."
By Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives had called for a hearing to investigate the CDC's recommendations, and ensure that future healthcare workers will not be infected while treating patients with Ebola. During the hearing, CDC Director Thomas Frieden faced a tough line of questioning about its protocols and ability to execute them effectively.
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