During my stint in Sierra Leone, we had outbreaks of Lassa Fever as well as Cholera. The protocol for Lassa Fever is very much similar to Ebola Fever (both are viral haemorrhagic fevers). I had to don the same yellow/white protective suits to carry out clinical examination of patients, do procedures too and it really felt like working inside a sauna. Mist fogged up the goggles and my specs. After seeing one patient, I felt so drained. Do you know that doctors and nurses lose up to five litres in sweat during an hour-long shift in the PPE (personal protective equipment) suits and have to spend two hours rehydrating after? To minimise the risk of infection we have to wear thick rubber boots that come up to our knees, an impermeable body suit, gloves, a face mask, a hood and goggles to ensure no air at all can touch our skin. We then go through multiple decontaminations which includes spraying chlorine on our shoes.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:13:48 +0000
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