February 4, 2015

expert reaction to reports that UK nurse Pauline Cafferkey may have contracted Ebola due to wearing a visor rather than goggles

A report by the Charity Save the Children into the British healthcare worker who contracted the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone, has concluded that it is likely that she caught the virus while wearing a visor instead of goggles while treating patients.

Prof. Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology, University of Nottingham, said:

“Unless there is a known exposure it is really tricky to identify exactly how a healthcare worker has become exposed.

“What we do know is that the virus enters the body either directly, as would happen in the event of a needlestick injury, or after it has come into contact with mucous membranes – the delicate surfaces of the body like the eyes and inside the nose or mouth. Clearly if any of these areas are exposed sufficiently for virus to come into contact then an infection can take place.

“It’s difficult to make a judgement in this case, obviously the investigation was thorough and looked at all the possibilities, and they have decided that the wearing of a visor instead of goggles was a likely reason that the virus breached the protective equipment.

“What it does highlight is that no matter what precautions are taken, there is always a risk, and frontline workers put their own lives on the line in the fight against this virus – a fight that they seem to be winning.”

Declared interests

None declared