the CDC is providing guidelines and updating them frequently.

whether they're for profit or nonprofit. I know 10 years ago that rooms weren't being cleaned properly because of the massive speedup in housekeeping that prevented people from doing a thorough cleaning, not even private rooms where people with resistant infections had been staying.

This is a pipe dream from the CDC unless hospitals are forced to hire adequate staff across the board.

if a hospital has Ebola patients. It's sort of a special circumstance. Most hospitals don't have Ebola patients. If one shows up, those recommendations will, no doubt, be followed.

They do that already with isolation rooms where MRSA patients are.

While I understand that staffing is at a minimum under normal circumstances, and Ebola patient is not a normal circumstance.

The Hennepin County Medical Center here in Minneapolis just completed a drill today designed to test their protocols, just in case an Ebola patient appears. There were a few glitches in the drill, so additional changes were made in the protocol. I imagine that major hospitals in most cities are doing the same thing in preparation for what might happen.

You might want to check your own hospital to see what they're doing. If it's nothing, then ask why. I can only check on facilities in my own area.

Pessimism is fine, but further checking is better.

in hospital type chemicals and procedures for terminal cleaning after patients with incredibly vicious bugs of all types have been in the room.

I know what the last hospital I worked for is doing--nothing. I would hope that with an ebola case just one state over that the MBA running the place would realize he will need more personnel, but MBAs don't think that way, especially that one. They want cosmetic jobs done by the fewest people possible because people do nothing but suck profits out of the system.

I'd think they'd shift experienced personnel to cover that role and bring in new staff in other positions. Surely there would be people trained in isolation room procedures, you know. They already have the required skills.

Apparently you have worked in hospitals. Were you a nurse or doctor? What did you do in "the last hospital you worked for?"

The critical care areas kept me busy most of the time.

When housekeeping staff were slashed to the bone, I started seeing things like dried splashed liquids on the undersides of the bedside tables, grunge under the beds, and bedframes that hadn't even been dusted, much less gone over with disinfectant.

Staff cuts hurt, in other words, and are likely to be fatal if the next plague that comes along is an upper respiratory one.

has conducted drills to test their Ebola protocols today. The Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) just completed a drill. A few gaps were found and are being corrected in the protocols. Other major hospitals in the area have also established protocols for any Ebola patient who might appear, according to news reports. It's good to know that people are making preparations, even if we hope they are never needed.

Those who have concerns should investigate to see what their own local medical facilities are doing to prepare. If nothing, then ask why nothing is being done. Make noise. Find out what's happening.

That's activism.

A Google News search for Prepared for Ebola shows that hospitals around the US have made or are making preparations to receive and treat Ebola patients. My search showed many hospitals in many cities that have already prepared or are in the process right now. It's worth doing the search. You can add your own area to the search to see if your local hospitals have made preparations. If you don't find a news story, it would be worth checking with your local authorities to see what preparations are underway.

DUers should be informed.

airplane can reach your community then the disease can reach it to. I live in NE MN and it is not a usual port of entry for persons from overseas. This is what I am wondering about. I am not really sure to ask what I am thinking. Is there any area that is not subject to what is happening?

How much preparation is needed, I think, depends on the likelihood that someone with Ebola will show up there.

In Minneapolis, for example, there's a substantial Liberian immigrant population, and considerable travel from West Africa. They need to be prepared. In NE MN, I doubt immediate preparation is needed, though. Still, being aware of the possibility is important everywhere.

There's only been one patient so far, though, so I don't think it's an emergency situation, except in our major cities.

will be okay in the USA. There are bound to be some mistakes made but we at least have the medical personnel and the facilities to handle a problem and we have good communication to get the word out. Thank you.

It will be contained and the outbreak won't affect most Americans at all.

I like primary sources for situations like this. And it doesn't get any more primary than the CDC for rare disease information.

I have tried to respond rationally in some threads. Most respondents are okay; too many are over-reacting.

Your links answer all the important question.