More time spent on Ebola can mean less time to handle day-to-day demands, particularly the Enterovirus D-68 outbreak and the approaching flu season, according to an article on the NPR website.
"We have to drop so many other things to take this on," said Jennie Mayfield, president of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
If the infection preventionist is working on training with personal protective equipment for Ebola, their other tasks aren't getting done as promptly or efficiently as they could be, said Linda Greene, an infection prevention manager and member of APIC's regulatory review panel.
As a result, the fear is that they'll "miss red flags" for patients with the flu or antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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