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Dental Abstracts

Volume 60, Issue 3, May–June 2015, Pages 160-163
Dental Abstracts

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Infection control for viral hemorrhagic fevers

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.denabs.2015.03.041Get rights and content

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Background

The current epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has spread from West Africa to sporadic occurrences in the United States, Europe, and the Antipodes, usually via infected travelers. Human-to-human transmission of EVD has only occurred through direct contact with the body fluids of infected persons and contaminated environments. No cases of transmission of EVD through dental settings have been documented, but the facts that this disease can be transmitted through human secretions and that the

VHF Basics

VHFs are a group of human and animal illnesses that share the characteristics of fever, bleeding, and often a progression to high fever, shock, and death. Some cause relatively mild illnesses and others are extremely lethal. Viruses that cause VHFs are RNA viruses that require an animal or insect natural reservoir. Humans are infected after contact with infected hosts or their body fluids or accidental transmission from the host or infected humans. Another route of infection is the exposure to,

EBV Information

Fruit bats are the natural reservoir for the Ebola virus. Transmission among them and to and between humans is highly possible. The virus persists in the reservoir species in endemic areas. Human-to-human transmission occurs when individuals are exposed to the blood and possibly other body fluids from an infected person through skin abrasions, mucosal lesions, or parenteral exposure. Three species of Ebola virus—Bundibugyo, Zaire, and Sudan—have caused epidemics in Africa with high rates of

Dental Implications

No cases of EVD have been transmitted in dental settings, but all those persons who have detectable serum levels of Ebola virus RNA also have detectable levels in their saliva, which suggests the possibility of transmission. Oral and dental healthcare workers, especially in endemic areas, should routinely observe strict standard infection control measures to reduce the risk of acquiring the disease. It is unlikely that dental healthcare workers would treat persons who have symptomatic EVD or

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Samaranayake L, Scullly C, Nair RG, et al: Viral haemorrhagic fevers with emphasis on Ebola virus disease and oro-dental healthcare. Oral Dis 21:1-6, 2015

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