On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated 35 Ebola treatment hospitals. The announcement was made through a press release by the CDC along with the US Department of Health and Human Services. According to the agency, state health have identified the hospitals as treatment center for Ebola and more are expected to be chosen in the coming weeks.
The 35 Ebola treatment hospitals were evaluated by the CDC Rapid Ebola Preparedness team. According to Time, CDC have assessed 50 hospitals in 15 states. The hospitals have been reviewed to have the staff, equipment, capabilities, resources and training to treat a person with Ebola, while minimizing risk to healthcare workers.
The 35 CDC-approved Ebola hospitals includes those that have already treated patients with the virus. Fox News reported the list comprises Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, and other prominent hospitals, including Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Mayo Clinic Hospital in Minnesota, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and New York-Presbyterian.
"As long as Ebola is spreading in West Africa, we must prepare for the possibility of additional cases in the United States," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in the press release. "We are implementing and constantly strengthening multiple levels of protection, including increasing the number of hospitals that have the training and capabilities to manage the complex care of an Ebola patient. These hospitals have worked hard to rigorously assess their capabilities and train their staff."
Over 80 percent of people entering the US from the affected West African nations live within 200 miles of one of the centers, Reuters reported. Every person returning from these regions is ordered to take their temperature daily for 21 days, the incubation period for Ebola. Since the program was instigated in November, over 3,000 travelers have been monitored by the CDC and state health departments.
According to the World Health Organization, the West Africa Ebola outbreak have killed over 6,000 people out of more than 17,000 Ebola cases particularly in the most-struck countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The assessment of the 35 Ebola hospitals came as the CDC intensified its response with the treatment preparation after two nurses have been infected by the virus, The Guardian reported.
The CDC list of 35 Ebola hospitals was released though there are currently no known patients being treated for Ebola in the US.
