Take a look inside an MSF Ebola center

 

It is not easy to set up and run this kind of Ebola center. The infection risk is complex, and therefore exceptionally tight safety procedures apply. Nobody has experience of such large Ebola centers. The procedures are being constantly updated.

 

Sick people thought to be suffering from Ebola are brought into the triage area. They are examined by medical personnel who wear protective clothing, and are divided into two groups, based on the probability of them actually having Ebola.

 

When patients arrive who are definitely known to have Ebola, they go directly to the ward for Ebola patients, without going through triage.

 

Staff who have to enter the high-risk zone of the Ebola center must first put on protective clothing. A colleague assists them, to make sure that everything is done correctly. Staff always go inside at least in pairs, to be able to check on and assist each other.

 

Staff coming out again are often physically and emotionally exhausted. However, they have to remove their protective clothing slowly and meticulously otherwise there is a risk of infection. Once again, colleagues are present to prevent mistakes being made. 

 

Depending on the lab where the blood tests are done, patients have to wait several hours or days to know whether they actually have Ebola or not. They spend this time in the ward with other patients in the same situation. They are isolated from those who are probably or definitely infected, so that they are exposed to the lowest possible risk of infection while in the hospital itself. 

 

If the medical staff suspect that someone has Ebola, based on the symptoms, the patient stays in the ward with those who have a high probability of being infected. They are only transferred to the ward with patients who definitely have Ebola if a blood test confirms the Ebola diagnosis.

 

Patients whose blood test confirmed that they are suffering from Ebola stay in this ward until they die or recover. There is no cure for Ebola; our staff can only provide supportive care. Good care increases the chances of survival, but because most centers are inundated and are unable to cope with the number of patients, it is difficult to provide that care.

 

Everyone follows a strict path along these marked routes. This reduces the risk of the virus spreading within the Ebola center. Neither patients nor staff are allowed to go from a zone with a high infection risk to a lower-risk zone, and at crucial intersections, there are footbaths containing disinfectant. Each room must be quickly and easily accessible, because staff can only stay inside briefly, and as a consequence have no time to lose.

 

Patients who feel strong enough can walk outside. There is a visitors' room, so that patients can talk to relatives and friends. The double separation makes touching impossible which means visitors cannot be infected.

 

If the blood test shows that a patient does not have Ebola, he leaves the Ebola center immediately, without going through any other departments. Those who have recovered also leave the center immediately. Before leaving, the discharged patient must wash and disinfect himself thoroughly, and receives new clothes.

 

Mortality is very high in most Ebola centers. Dead patients are transferred to the mortuary. This is located outside the clinic itself, but inside the double fence, because the bodies remain highly infectious.