海角大神

罢丑别听United States聽issued stringent new protocols on Monday for health workers treating聽Ebola聽victims, directing medical teams to wear protective gear that leaves no skin or hair exposed to prevent medical workers from becoming infected.

The new guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 颈苍听Atlanta聽come as 43 people who were exposed to the first patient diagnosed in the聽United States聽were declared risk free, easing a national sense of crisis that took hold after two聽Texas聽nurses who treated him contracted the disease.

Under new protocols,听Ebola聽healthcare workers also must undergo special training and demonstrate competency in using protective equipment. Use of the gear, now including coveralls, and single-use, disposable hoods, must be overseen by a supervisor to ensure proper procedures are followed when caring for patients with聽Ebola, which is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids but is not airborne. (CDC protocols: http://1.usa.gov/1vYIwWA)

The hemorrhagic fever has killed more than 4,500 people, mainly in the West African nations of聽Liberia,听Sierra Leone听补苍诲听Guinea.

"Even a single healthcare worker infection is unacceptable," CDC Director聽Tom Frieden聽said in a teleconference with reporters outlining the new regulations.

The old guidelines for health workers, based on World Health Organization protocols, said they should wear masks or goggles but allowed some skin exposure.

More than 40 people exposed to the first聽Ebola聽patient diagnosed in the聽United States,Thomas Eric Duncan, emerged from isolation with a clean bill of health on Monday.

Among those released from monitoring on Monday were the only four individuals quarantined by official order - Duncan's fianc茅e and three other people who shared an apartment with him 颈苍听Dallas聽before he was hospitalized. Duncan died on Oct. 8.

Texas聽officials said 120 other potentially exposed people in the state, more than half of them medical workers who had contact with Duncan after he was hospitalized, were still being monitored for聽Ebola聽symptoms for the remainder of a 21-day incubation period.

That group includes the two nurses who became infected while treating him at聽Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, presumably because they were wearing flimsy protective gear that left some of their skin exposed.

罢丑别听Obama administration, drawing sharp criticism for a government response to the聽Ebolacrisis widely seen as inadequate, was also taking steps aimed at ensuring a swifter action in the future.

Later this week, 30 military medical personnel are due to begin training at聽Fort Sam Houston颈苍听San Antonio,听Texas, to move quickly to help deal with any possible case of聽Ebola聽in theUnited States, military officials said. They include 20 critical care nurses, five infectious disease doctors, and five trainers with "great knowledge" of infectious disease protocol, said Major聽Beth Smith, a spokeswoman for the聽U.S. Northern Command聽颈苍听Colorado聽Springs,Colorado.

The man newly appointed by President聽Barack Obama聽to coordinate the response to聽Ebolainside the country, lawyer Ron Klain, will start work on Wednesday.

Klain was invited to testify at a聽House of Representatives聽oversight hearing on Friday, but he will not attend. His mandate is to reduce fears and work on improving federal coordination with states to control the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, there were signs that fears over聽Ebola聽and a series of false alarms reported in the past few weeks had tapered off.

In the financial markets, it was evident that investors were growing more sanguine over theEbola聽threat. Several of the stocks that were hit hardest - including airlines and hotels - bounced back sharply Monday. Shares of small biotech companies, medical equipment makers and drugmakers related to聽Ebola聽research and preparedness were down.

Dr.聽Mark Rupp, an infectious disease specialist at the聽Nebraska Medical Center聽颈苍听Omaha, which is treating聽Ebola-infected cameraman聽Ashoka Mukpo, told a news conference on Monday he hoped the removal of people from watch lists 颈苍听Dallas聽would help quell some of what he called irrational fear surrounding聽Ebola.

"Simply being on a bus, being on a plane, closing schools, preventing cruise ships from docking - these are all just examples of irrational fear," Rupp said.

罢丑别听Nebraska hospital聽said Monday that Mukpo, diagnosed 颈苍听Liberia, is doing "quite well" and that depending on test results he could be discharged in days.

A patient who was admitted to聽Emory University Hospital聽颈苍听Atlanta聽on Sept. 9 after being infected 颈苍听West Africa聽was released on Sunday, the hospital said in a statement on Monday. The patient asked not to be identified but will make a statement at a later date, Emory said.

Hundreds monitored

Ohio聽health authorities said 142 people were still being monitored in that state for symptoms. Three people remained under quarantine because they had direct skin contact with one of the two nurses infected by Duncan after she visited the state by airliner.

At the聽Catholic Conference Center聽颈苍听Dallas聽where Duncan's fianc茅e聽Louise Troh聽and the other three people closest to Duncan had been in quarantine, Bishop聽Kevin Farrell聽said they were relieved the isolation period had ended. "They felt like they were being persecuted," Farrell said.

Four of five聽Dallas聽school students who have been cleared by health authorities to resume regular activities following exposure to the virus returned to school on Monday, one day earlier than expected.

罢丑别听United States聽and some European governments are checking selected airports for passengers traveling from聽Liberia, Sierra Leone and聽Guinea, the three West African countries worst hit by聽Ebola.

In a similar move on Monday, Carnival Cruise Lines said passengers will be asked to fill out a questionnaire on whether or not they have experienced symptoms of fever or vomiting and if they have recently traveled to聽West Africa聽or had contact with someone known or suspected to have聽Ebola.

One Carnival cruise was denied docking by聽Belize听补苍诲听Mexico聽last week because a聽Texashospital lab worker on board might have come in contact with test samples from Liberian visitor Duncan. The worker has tested negative for the virus.