Articles: personal-protective-equipment.
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On December 31, 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission announced an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), China is now at a critical period in the control of the epidemic. The Chinese Government has been taking a series of rapid, comprehensive, and effective prevention and control measures. As the pandemic has developed, a fact has become apparent: there is a serious dearth of emergency medical supplies, and especially an extreme shortage of personal protective equipment such as masks and medical protective clothing. ⋯ Although China has made great efforts to strengthen the ability to quickly respond to public health emergencies since the SARS outbreak in 2003 and it has clarified requirements for emergency supplies through legislation, the emergency reserve supplies program has not been effectively implemented, and there are also deficiencies in the types, quantity, and availability of emergency medical supplies. A sound system of emergency reserve supplies is crucial to the management of public health emergencies. Based on international experiences with pandemic control, the world should emphasize improving the system of emergency reserve medical supplies in the process of establishing and improving public health emergency response systems, and it should promote the establishment of international cooperative programs to jointly deal with public health emergencies of international concern in the future.
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Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila) · Mar 2020
COVID-19: Special Precautions in Ophthalmic Practice and FAQs on Personal Protection and Mask Selection.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2, was first reported in December 2019. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020 and as of April 17, 2020, 210 countries are affected with >2,000,000 infected and 140,000 deaths. The estimated case fatality rate is around 6.7%. ⋯ COVID-19 is highly infectious and could be life-threatening. Using our protocol and measures, we have achieved zero infection in our ophthalmic practices in Hong Kong and China. Preventing spread of COVID-19 is possible and achievable.
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Workplace health & safety · Mar 2020
Examining Behaviors Related to Retirement, Cleaning, and Storage of Turnout Gear Among Rural Firefighters.
Background: Although the increased occupational exposures among career firefighters are well documented, there are gaps in research related to exposures among volunteer firefighters. This study was completed in a state where the majority of firefighters are volunteers. We aimed to examine if differences existed in career versus volunteer firefighters' behaviors related to the retirement, cleaning, and storage of turnout gear which may increase occupational exposures. ⋯ The majority of participants were concerned with job-related exposures. The structural issues of cost and accessibility were identified as the primary barriers to the proper retirement and cleaning of turnout gear, especially among volunteer firefighters. By identifying differences, tailored trainings could be aimed at volunteer firefighters to help reduce their exposures.
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J Infect Public Health · Mar 2020
Use of personal protective equipment to protect against respiratory infections in Pakistan: A systematic review.
Like other low-income countries, limited data are available on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Pakistan. We conducted a systematic review of studies on PPE use for respiratory infections in healthcare settings in Pakistan. MEDLINE, Embase and Goggle Scholar were searched for clinical, epidemiological and laboratory-based studies in English, and 13 studies were included; all were observational/cross-sectional studies. ⋯ Compliance with PPE use was low among healthcare workers, and reuse of PPE was reported. Clear policies on the use of PPE and available PPE are needed to avoid inappropriate practices that could result in the spread of infection. Large, multimethod studies are recommended on PPE use to inform national infection-control guidelines.