Best Practices for Procuring Personal Protective Equipment for Ebola Response

On October 20, 2014, CDC issued new guidance for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). HHS has been working closely with PPE manufacturers and distributors in order to maintain visibility on availability of PPE.

Since the issuance of the CDC guidance, there has been a sudden increase in demand for PPE. Across the U.S., availability for these products varies by product type and model, requested quantity, manufacturer, distributor, and geographic region.

• It is important to note that CDC guidance recommends use of either a PAPR or an N95 respirator, both of which provide a high level of protection that will allow healthcare workers to safely manage patients with Ebola.  Therefore, if one option is not available, the other could be used instead. Visit the NIOSH Respirator Trusted Source site to identify respirators meeting the requirements specified in the guidance:http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/RespSource.html.

Click HERE to read the full CDC Guidelines.