Ebola Virus Disease (EVD): Waste Management Guidance
In addition to the need to break the transmission of EVD between HCWs and their surrounding working environment, EVD waste management control measures must also be applied. EVD infected waste poses a health risk through the retransmission of EVD in outbreak settings. The modes of EVD transmission can be summarized as follows:
EVD is transmitted by direct (percutaneous, mucocutaneous) contact exposure to body fluids or organs from infected patients.
It is also transmitted indirectly by exposure through contact with EVD contaminated material such as bedding, linen, patient’s clothes and medical equipment used on infected patients in the provision of medical care and reusable PPE, to name some items.
There is no documented evidence of EVD airborne transmission. However, transmission through mucal droplets from infected patients is also possible (i.e. through coughing and sneezing).
EVD is not transmitted during the viral incubation period. It can only occur when the specific EVD symptoms appear (including red eyes, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding).
The corpse of deceased EVD patients are highly infectious and all direct contact is to be avoided. Appropriate waste management and handling needs to be highly effective in order to contain the outbreak and break any environmental viral transmission lines.