How Effective is U.S. Health Department’s Defense Against Ebola Outbreak

The Ebola outbreak that began in 2014 has killed over 11,000 people and infected an estimated 28,000. The worst hit areas include the three West African countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The few cases were also reported from the U.S.

One year after the first Ebola patient was diagnosed in the U.S., reports say that the hospitals in the country are defending themselves against the next big outbreak.

The government learned that not all U.S. hospitals could effectively admit and treat a patient with a severe, highly infectious disease like Ebola. In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created a tiered national approach to Ebola care.

The department appointed one hospital per region to specialize in highly infectious pathogens. Others were designated as assessment centers, capable of caring for a patient until a diagnosis is confirmed and the patient is transported to the regional hub.

  However, there are limitations to the new approach. Some major areas of the country - including the whole of California, the most populous state in the nation, are left unrepresented in the network. Also, there's a lack of basic training for all the hospitals that aren’t on the specialized care list, an issue because sick people initially go to the hospitals that are closest to them.

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Source-Medindia