US Hospitals Unprepared For Disposal of Ebola Hazardous Waste Materials

[From article]
So many Ebola victims are dying at home because of the severe shortage of treatment centers here in Monrovia, Liberia‘s capital, that they are infecting family members, neighbors and others in a ballooning circle of contagion.
Only 18 percent of Ebola patients in Liberia are being cared for in hospitals, holding centers or other settings that reduce the risk of transmission by isolating them from the rest of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unless that rate reaches 70 percent, the center predicted this week, Ebola cases will keep soaring.
[. . .]
“I’ve worked in many crises for more than 20 years, and it’s the first time I can see a situation that nobody wants to come,” said Jean-Pierre Veyrenche, who is heading the World Health Organization’s efforts to build treatment centers here. “There’s plenty of money, so that’s not the issue. If you look at Haiti, there were about 800 N.G.O.s there.”
“People are afraid to come — that’s it,” he added.
[. . .]
Here in Monrovia, the first city to face Ebola’s full onslaught since the virus was discovered in 1976, entire families are dying at home, unable to get a ride in one of the city’s few ambulances or gain admission to overcrowded treatment or holding centers.
[. . .]
Deeply distrustful of the government and fearful of becoming social outcasts, families often lie about the cause of death, furthering the contagion throughout their communities.
[. . .]
this community, caught up in its own denials, continued to engage in funeral practices that helped spread Ebola, he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/world/africa/liberia-ebola-victims-treatment-center-cdc.html?_r=0

Liberia’s Ebola Victims Dying at Home Amid Shortage of Clinics
By NORIMITSU ONISHI

SEPT. 24, 2014

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[From article]
U.S. hospitals may be unprepared to safely dispose of the infectious waste generated by any Ebola virus disease patient to arrive unannounced in the country, potentially putting the wider community at risk, biosafety experts said.
Waste management companies are refusing to haul away the soiled sheets and virus-spattered protective gear associated with treating the disease, citing federal guidelines that require Ebola-related waste to be handled in special packaging by people with hazardous materials training, infectious disease and biosafety experts told Reuters.
Many U.S. hospitals are unaware of the regulatory snafu, which experts say could threaten their ability to treat any person who develops Ebola in the U.S. after coming from an infected region. It can take as long as 21 days to develop Ebola symptoms after exposure.
[. . .]
CDC advises hospitals to place Ebola-infected items in leak-proof containers and discard them as they would other biohazards that fall into the category of "regulated medical waste." According to DOT guidelines, items in this category can't be in a form that can cause human harm. The DOT classifies Ebola as a Category A agent, or one that is potentially life-threatening.
[. . .]
Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, an expert on public health preparedness at Pennsylvania State University, said there's "no way in the world" that U.S. hospitals are ready to treat patients with highly infectious diseases like Ebola.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/24/us-health-ebola-usa-hospitals-insight-idUSKCN0HJ0AD20140924

U.S. hospitals unprepared to handle Ebola waste
BY JULIE STEENHUYSEN
CHICAGO

Wed Sep 24, 2014 1:11am EDT