Elizabeth Hollis is the news and social media editor at AAMI. E-mail: ehollis@ aami.org This fall, several U.S. hospitals found themselves grappling with a handful of cases of the Ebola virus. Although facilities expected to be prepared—particularly since they treat other easily transmittable diseases—Ebola has proven trickier. Ebola “has really driven home having security of public health,” said Barbara Knust, an epidemiologist and veterinarian in CDC’s Viral Special Pathogens Branch. She spoke at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, held in Washington, DC, in September. “Weak public health infrastructure in one place—in a little corner of the world—can have ripple effects throughout the world,” she said in a presentation during the conference. She was confident in the preparedness of U.S. hospitals, but there are still a lot of unknowns about the virus, causing anxiety among healthcare workers—especially after two Dallas nurses were infected after treating the first Ebola patient in the United Sates. The patient, Thomas Duncan died, but the two nurses have successfully been treated for the virus. “It is obvious that after the incident in Texas, everyone is worried about Ebola transmission in the healthcare setting,” said Genti Koci, a sterile processing professional formerly with Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, OH. “We don’t know much about the disease, and there is a fear factor that has spread among us through the media.” With the situation changing almost daily, the CDC has issued frequent updates, and healthcare facilities are doing their best to keep their employees safe. “We are following CDC Guidelines and making sure all patient care equipment is cleaned and disinfected per the [instructions for use] (IFUs). However, we are reinforcing the correct application and removal of personal protective equipment (PPE), which seems to be a weak spot in this,” said Nancy Chobin, a consultant and educator with the Saint Barnabas Health Care System. As Jesse Goodman, MD, attending physician at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, noted during an Ebola town hall meeting on Washington D.C.-area radio station WTOP, facilities should be “overclear, overtrained, and overcautious.” That recommendation seems to have resonated with the healthcare community. Donna Swenson, president of Sterile Processing Quality Services, Inc, in Berwyn, IL, has advice to keep facilities prepared. “Both when performing surgery and after the procedure when cleaning the instrumentation, it is necessary for healthcare workers to ensure that they take adequate precautions to protect themselves from blood and body fluid exposure,” she said. That protection includes gowns and drapes. Swenson is co-chair of the committee that developed ANSI/AAMI PB70:2012, Liquid barrier performance and classification of Key facts from WHO