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. 2017 Jun;23(6):965-967.
doi: 10.3201/eid2306.170062.

Sustainability of High-Level Isolation Capabilities among US Ebola Treatment Centers

Jocelyn J Herstein, Paul D Biddinger, Shawn G Gibbs, Aurora B Le, Katelyn C Jelden, Angela L Hewlett, John J Lowe

Sustainability of High-Level Isolation Capabilities among US Ebola Treatment Centers

Jocelyn J Herstein et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

To identify barriers to maintaining and applying capabilities of US high-level isolation units (HLIUs) used during the Ebola virus disease outbreak, during 2016 we surveyed HLIUs. HLIUs identified sustainability challenges and reported the highly infectious diseases they would treat. HLIUs expended substantial resources in development but must strategize models of sustainability to maintain readiness.

Keywords: Ebola; Ebola virus disease; Ebolavirus; United States; communicable diseases; hospitals; isolation; viruses.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diseases that 31 HLIUs reported they would treat, United States, 2016. HLIU, high-level isolation unit.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Challenges to establishing an HLIU and to maintaining HID care reported by survey respondents, United States, 2016 (n = 32 HLIUs). Other challenges include external support, lack of dedicated unit space, competing priorities, staffing needs, and decreasing hospital capacities. HLIU, high-level isolation unit; HID, highly infectious disease.
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