The guy in the black suit, Arjun Srinivasan, is one of the people at the CDC who knows what the hell they're doing. Smart guy. However, notice, they're insisting on a "trained observer" in the room during the examination. To me, that is exposing someone needlessly. Notice how many steps they take and keep saying "margin of safety." Ebola is hard to catch eh? Medscape: Medscape Access
Suiting up isn't that hard to do, once you have done it a few times. Where folks get into trouble is being able to SAFELY UnSuit, without cross-contaminating, Yourself, or your Buddy, and disposing of the suit itself. I have been working on a Portable Decontamination Suite that is easy to transport to Remote Locations, and only requires 12Vdc, to run a small 2.5GPM @ 40PSI Pump. It is made up of a Shower Stall Base that sits on top of a 55 USG Drum, buried 7/8 into the Ground, and drains into the Barrel. The Pump takes the Decontamination Fluid (Saturated Bleach Solution) from the Barrel Bottom and feeds a set of 8 each, 7' tall, 1/2" PVC Pipes, with 1/8" holes every 6". These are setup in a Vertical Circle, from a PVC Base (Manifold) that sits just inside the Shower Base, with Tees for each Riser, and a Second Base to connect the Top of the Risers, Glued together, with a small Can of PVC Glue, included in the Kit. Then a double Layer of Shower Curtain surrounds the PVC System and is also inside the Shower Base. The Health Worker comes out of the Isolation Unit and Goes inside the Shower Stall, and the Observer turns on the Pump. The Pump then pressurizes the PVC Risers at 40PSI, and it jets the Bleach Solution, Head to Toe, from 8 Angles, onto the Workers Suit, and they use their gloves to wash the solution over the entire suit. 5 minutes of wash, and then the Pump gets turned off, and the worker leaves the Shower, and gots to the DisRobing Station and waits for another 5 Minutes, to allow for Contact Time, and then proceeds to UnSuit, using the Standard UnSuit Protocols. This setup allows the Worker to have much less exposure, to Active Virus, during the UnSuit Process, as well as not having to worry about a third Party, with a HandHeld PumpUP Sprayer, to do the exterior Suit Decontamination, before the UnSuit. The Bleach Solution is recycled in the 55USG Drum, and it's Strength can be determined with cheap Test Strips, and be replenished with Powdered Pool Chlorine as required. The whole system is transported as a pile of PVC Pipe Parts, a Can of Glue, the Pump Unit, some 1/2" Hose with Hose Clamps, some Wire and a Remote Switch, a Box of Pool Chlorine, and a half dozen, Shower Curtains, shrink wrapped in the Shower Stall Base. Easily Transported with Team Supplies, into a Remote Area, and setup in an hour, or so. Oh yea, Two more 55USG Drums are needed, one for a Burn Barrel for the Suits, and a Second full of Bleach Solution to put the Goggles and Face Shields into for 30 minutes, so they can be reused, once they are dried out, in the Sun.
I have to admit i am not real great about wearing ppe. I work for a plumber and i crawl under houses often and masks drive me crazy. When the work is strenuous getting a real breath rapidly becomes harder and harder. Even the best eyeshields fog up, mix that with sweat and fine dust and an eyeshield can rapidly go from being a piece of personal protection equipment to cause for an accident. God bless those people that wear those suits treating ebola victims i can only imagine how hard it is to work in them.
