Ebola Policy Needs Urgent GAO Investigation, States the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)
TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) has released an open letter to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Chairman Darrell Issa, stating that:
The U.S. was initially unprepared for clinical cases of Ebola virus disease. Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona tells the news media that with updated CDC guidance and current precautions, properly used, there is "zero risk" of infection to workers who transport or care for these patients.
We are concerned that the CDC guidance has not taken into account all the published scientific literature [cited in the letter]. One main assertion is the CDC's statement that Ebola cannot be transmitted "in the air" or by aerosol.
AAPS calls your attention to the following facts:
- Airborne transmission of Ebola virus is experimentally demonstrated.
Aerosols are generated by coughing, sneezing, invasive procedures, vomiting, diarrhea, flushing a toilet, and common laboratory equipment. Aerosol droplet transmission has been demonstrated in animal models. - Replication of the Ebola virus occurs in the skin. One of the target organs for infection by the Ebola virus is the skin. The clinical possibility of transmission via skin shedding was suggested in 1995 during an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The timing of the appearance of Ebola viral particles in the skin and the onset of viral shedding into the environment has not been well defined to date.
- Much remains unknown about Ebola.
- Fever is not always an early presenting sign of Ebola virus infection. In approximately 12% of cases, Ebola can present without fever, and the absence of fever is not a reliable indication that an individual is not infected.
First responders and physicians need clear guidance supported by scientific data. AAPS requests the Committee to call for an urgent investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), to be completed within 30 days, to determine the following:
- Has the CDC incorporated published scientific evidence pertaining to the above in its guidance?
- What is the scientific evidence for the CDC's assertion that "airborne" transmission of the Ebola virus does not occur, and that this should not be a concern for first responders and medical workers?
- The CDC website transiently acknowledged the danger of transmission by aerosol, but this material was quickly removed. Who is responsible for the material on the website and its removal?
- How much has been expended for pandemic preparedness? What supplies are available in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), and how can they be accessed? Have they been tested for efficacy against Ebola? Note that Kimberly Clark is being sued for alleged flaws in its protective surgical gowns.
- Ebola is a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) classified disease. What procedure did CDC follow in developing guidance for workers who are forced by circumstances to work under a lower grade BSL-3 condition?
This information is critical before any decisions are made to bring additional Ebola patients into this country, as the lives of transportation and medical personnel are at risk, as well as their families and other patients.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in all specialties, founded in 1943 to preserve private medicine and the patient-physician relationship.
SOURCE Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)
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