Protected by a suit, they had maintained two Ebola patients – now she fights for her life itself: As the nurse from Madrid could be infected with the virus?

The Spanish government their thing seemed certain: the beginning of August they took under the strictest security precautions one Ebola patients from West Africa back, the pictures of his arrival at the airport in Madrid went around the world. The 75-year-old cleric Miguel Pajares had been infected with the Ebola virus in Liberia. He was the first Ebola patient since the outbreak of the epidemic in West Africa, was transported to Europe for treatment. On August 12, he died at the Hospital Carlos III de Madrid.

On 25 September, the hospital had to report a second Ebola Dead: Even the minister Manuel Garcia Viejo had succumbed to the isolation of the effects of Ebola fever. The 69-year-old had been infected in Sierra Leone, he was transported to the country for the treatment of an aircraft of the Spanish Air Force, went back the images of a patient on a stretcher under a heat insulating cover and doctors in protective suits around the world.

Now fighting in the Hospital Carlos III, a nurse for her life. They belonged to that team that had also taken care of the treatment of the two Ebola patients under supposedly strict safeguards to. Since it was announced on Monday that it has thereby infected with the Ebola virus, the Spanish health authorities have to face a question: How could this happen?

After the arrival of priests Pajares the largest Madrid doctors’ union had sharply criticized the decision of the Ministry of Health, fly in the Ebola sufferers. Daniel Bernabéu by the union said at the time, no one could “guarantee 100 percent that the virus does not escape”.

According to the union, the Hospital Carlos III has due to austerity measures of the Madrid Regional Government insufficient insulation options. Shortly before Pajares’ admission to the hospital, the hospital had been evacuated, and 40 nurses and doctors had to be trained in a crash course in dealing with Ebola patients.

Ebola infection in Madrid: Inadequate protection suits?

Now is also staff the clinic Carlos III reports to Word: The newspaper “El País” said an employee who did not meet the necessary protective clothing for the treatment of Ebola patient safety standards. Thus, the protective clothing was missing among other things a secured breathing air supply.

The vice director of the hospital denied the allegations: The protective suits comply with the necessary safety measures, Yolanda Fuentes told the newspaper. We follow here the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the article of “El País” recordings of employees can be seen in protective suits. They show about that simple latex gloves are attached to the outside with tape on the sleeves.

It is currently unclear whether in fact has led to a lack of protective clothing that the nurse could infect. She may have made ​​a mistake when removing the protective suit.

The Ebola virus can only pass from one person to another if the person had direct contact with the patient – or his body fluids such as vomit touches (click here to read details about the possible routes of infection).

One thing is certain: the risk of contagion is especially for those who care for Ebola patients, not equal to zero. The show also WHO figures: Until September 28, a total of 377 helpers in West Africa infected with the virus, 216 of them have died. Even Peter Piot of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and discoverer of the Ebola virus said on Tuesday: The treatment of Ebola patients is risky, especially medical personnel can become infected easily. “The slightest mistake can be fatal.”

As with the Ebola patients in the United States, it is for now the Spanish authorities, taking appropriate action to prevent further spread. Peter Piot but is convinced that the infection of the nurse will have no epidemic resulted.

It is especially important to make the contact persons of the patients quickly locate. Currently is not excluded that these have become infected. But as long as they do not have symptoms, they are not contagious to others. First symptoms such as high fever occur in a time window of up to 21 days. Within this period, the contact person must be strictly observed and optionally isolated.

On the list of Spanish authorities are now around 30 doctors and nurses who had worked with the nurse, as well as 22 people from their private lives and employees of the hospital in the Madrid suburb of Alcorcón, in which the viral infection was found. They were placed under observation. The husband of the nursing assistant came in quarantine.

While watching German experts the operations in Spain with great attention. For the Frankfurt University Hospital, on whose Sonderisoliereinheit currently an Ebola patient is also treated the case in Madrid but for the time being no need to increase their own security arrangements.

So far we have found no leak during inspections, said Hans-Reinhard Brodt, Head of Infectious Diseases. the hospital announced: In the rooms of isolation “with a low pressure to prevent air – and with it exciting – can escape When treating an Ebola patient rooms be entered only through special airlocks with independent air-conditioning.. to prevent infection by these patients on blood and body secretions, doctors and nurses wear full-body protective suits with breathing safe air supply, throughout which is pressurized so that no bacteria can get into the suits. ”

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