Personal protective equipment for use in a filovirus disease outbreak

Overview

Filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg) are highly contagious pathogens, which cause severe and often fatal illness in humans. Health workers are at increased risk of infection with these viruses because of their close and prolonged contact with severely ill patients with a high viral load. The risk of transmission of Ebola virus can be reduced if appropriate measures are taken, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The urgent need for clear standards for PPE use became acutely apparent during the unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in certain western African countries in 2013–16.

Responding to an urgent request from Member States, the World Health Organization (WHO) undertook the development of a rapid advice guideline on Personal Protective Equipment, an important component of Infection Prevention and Control. The publication in October 2014 of the guideline summary marked the first time that WHO implemented a new, state-of-the-art approach to the development of evidence-informed, rapid advice guidelines. It was also the first time that a rapid advice guideline included technical specifications.

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