A photo of what was claimed to be the only Ebola preparedness kit in a Fraser Valley hospital has nurses again sounding the alarm about B.C.’s readiness if the outbreak spreads to this province.
The “Strict Precautions Kit,” which is marked “PPE against Ebola Virus” contains two sets of protective gear but is missing crucial elements – and was also hard to find, according to the BC Nurses Union.
“I was shocked. Not even any gloves in this kit,” said B.C. Nurses' Union president Gayle Duteil. “That’s unacceptable. Our nurses will expect a lot more than that.”
She said the gear should at least contain properly sized clothing to avoid any gaps, and an N-95 respirator mask, which could provide further protection.
Nurses told CTV News that the footwear in the kit was all men’s size 9, the gowns were paper, and the gear was difficult to access because staff didn’t know where it was.
Fraser Health downplayed the report, saying that there are hundreds of such kits and they are accessible and modern.
When asked about the picture at a press conference, Health Minister Terry Lake said he is taking the nurses’ concerns seriously by referring it to an ongoing review of hospital procedures for Ebola readiness.
“That’s why we’ve put a team together with [public health officer] Dr. Perry Kendall to make sure that every hospital is properly equipped and the training is ongoing,” Terry Lake said.
Nurses are feeling vulnerable after the second reported case of an infection among the nurses in Dallas who treated Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, who died of the disease last week.
Nurse Amber Vinson is now the second health care worker to catch the disease from their patient. Nina Pham was diagnosed last month.
“The fight against Ebola is a two front fight now,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Vinson also flew to Cleveland on a flight with 132 people aboard. The American Centre for Disease Control is monitoring the passengers on the flight, though say it’s unlikely any were infected.
American news reports suggest that the problems in the Dallas hospital arose because nurses weren’t wearing proper protective gear in the first two days of treatment, didn’t have proper training, and had to cover holes in their gear with tape.
Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids. Symptoms include fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
The head of the Canadian Federation of Nurses echoed B.C. Nurses’ alarms.
“The lack of knowledge about the disease and how to protect yourself from it is what’s troubling nurses in Canada. If Ebola does come here, they’re concerned the precautions aren’t good enough,” said Linda Silas.
