CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported that the CDC admitted during a phone conference with the press that Texas Presbyterian Hospital “did seem to be following CDC protocols” in their treatment of Ebola patient Thomas Duncan on Monday’s “OutFront.”
“One thing that came out right at the top of the call, was that he [CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden] basically said the hospital in Dallas did seem to be following CDC protocols…he said the CDC protocols were issued, they were something that they had worked on over the summer. The Dallas hospital seemed to follow them. Now he can concedes, they were inadequate for what needs to be done here” Gupta stated.
Gupta said that the key changes to guidelines were that “every healthcare provider and hospitals across the country, before they start taking care of a patient with Ebola, they have to go through some competency training now,” “they’re also going to have a buddy system now for every step of the way,” and “no skin will be exposed for healthcare workers that are taking care of patients Ebola.”
He concluded, “these are obvious things. They’ve been done in Africa for decades. Why it wasn’t done here, it wasn’t part of guide alliance initially, I don’t know.”
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