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Some people are selling Ebola survival kits with the most bogus stuff in them. For instance, in one online kit, I found a poncho and a space blanket, AM/FM radio, survival whistle and a deck of playing cards. What good will these do with ebola protection? None. As a matter of fact, I’ll go as far as saying that a kit like that is a high risk to your life. We don’t want that.
In this article we’ll cover real gear. Valuable gear. Lifesaving gear. But let me warn you first. I am not a medical professional, nor am I an EMT. This is purely research that I have done on my own. Once you’ve read this article, perform your own deeper research.
Now, back to what I’ve discovered about Ebola protective gear.
First, the CDC lays out specific procedures for Ebola gear. We will not be covering the donning and doffing gear procedures. My intention now is just to expose you just to the gear that needs to be in your Ebola survival kit.
CDC Criteria for Ebola Gear
The criteria I’m using is from the CDC. I’ve gone through their page, and extracted the essentials in this article. I’ve also broken down the gear into 3 parts. They are:
Head gear
Body gear
Foot gear
As we’re going through these 3 parts, you might see the term PPE. That means Personal Protection Equipment. It’s a commonly used term in safety and healthcare circles.
This isn’t BioHazard 4 Gear but…
One other thing we need to cover. Ebola is a level 4 biohazard or BH-4. Biohazard 1 or BH-1 is bacteria and viruses. BH-2 is the same, but they cause mild diseases in humans. BH-3 can cause fatalities but vaccines exist. BH-4 causes fatalities but there are no vaccines or other treatments.
As you can imagine, Ebola being level 4, needs level 4 equipment with positive pressure suites. Additionally, level 4 gear requires diluted bleach solutions. These solutions act as a decontamination spray rinse before removing equipment.
The gear I’m sharing is not CDC BioHazard 4 (BH-4) level by any means. Because BH-4 gear is so pricey, not everyone can afford it. This is just a guess, but I’m figuring that in eastern Africa, BH-4 biohazard suits might not be that common.
From some interviews I’ve watched, diluted bleach decontamination spray rinse is one of the factors that makes a difference. So let me share with you what I’ve found from the CDC regarding necessary ebola gear.
Ebola Upper Body Protective Gear
Here are the PPE items recommended for head protection.
Eye protection, Facemask: Goggles or face shields must be worn with face masks. Respirators are actually recommended more strongly than goggles.
N95 respirators: These are for single use.
Disposable full face shield: Speaks for its self
Disposable surgical hood: This should be extending to shoulders.
PAPR hood with full face shield or headpiece: Reusable helmets or headpieces must be covered with a single-use (disposable) hood. The hood needs to extend to shoulders and entirely cover the neck. Also, it needs to be compatible with the selected PAPR.
Ebola Mid Body Protective Gear
Here are the PPE items recommended for body protection. What’s noticeable is that each of these has extra length. The gown is particularly interesting as it has thumb hooks. I can only guess that this is some kind of an issue with keeping all body areas covered.
Impermeable gowns: The single use fluid resistant type extends to at least the mid calf area. You can also use a coverall without the hood, but the CDC recommends gowns with thumb hooks. Thumb hooks are better than taping the cuffs. Its been found that taping the cuffs increases the risk of exposure.
Nitrile Examination Gloves: Double gloving provides an extra layer of safety during direct patient care. It also helps in the PPE removal process. These will be single use. At the minimum, the outer gloves should have an extended cuff.
Ebola Lower Body Protective Gear
The PPE items for your feet you’ll want to include are shoe covers, boots, booties and impermeable boot covers. They should extend to mid calf or single use disposable shoe covers.
Do you want to be proactive with the Ebola crisis? If so, then check out building your own kit. Hopefully, this article will give you a good start in the process.
Here’s Your Next Step To Getting Ready
Here’s what you do. Re-read this article one more time. Create a bug out bag dedicated to Ebola or pandemic supplies. This way you won’t have to try and make your normal bug out bag serve too many purposes.
If you found this helpful, then would you please share this with your friends. Make it easy for them with Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
What do you think about these items in a bug out bag? Would they help you remove some fears that you might have about a potential Ebola crisis?