After looking at 20 Ebola and Marburg outbreaks, researchers found consistently high infection rates among healthcare workers, according to an article on the Healio website.
The findings highlight the need to strengthen infection-control practices, according to the researchers.
During two recent Ebola virus outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, healthcare workers were the first to receive an experimental Ebola vaccine, underlining their unique risk for infection.
The most common causes of infection were insufficient or incorrect use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and exposure to undiagnosed patients. Deficiencies in PPE use were often caused by lack of availability of appropriate equipment and the lack of training in personal protective equipment use during patient care.
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