The Ebola virus, once a curiosity Americans gratefully glimpsed from afar, has landed on U.S. shores and could soon create a quandary for hospital and standalone laboratories. Not only have victims of the disease with U.S. citizenship been transported here to receive care far advanced in comparison to what is available in western Africa, but a resident of Dallas was recently diagnosed with the disease after initially being sent home as the result of a misdiagnosis. And many Ebola victims have been providers of health care services to previous victims. That Ebola is in the United States and could strike again has raised anxieties. Some politicians and commentators have called for restricting entry to travelers from certain African countries. But whether or not such restrictions occur, laboratories are on the front line of diagnosing cases of the disease. What will they have to do in order to be both properly prepared and protect their personnel from contamination? That was the topic explored at a webinar held earlier this week by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. The speakers were Nancy E. Cornish, M.D., a medical officer with the division of laboratory science and standards at the Centers for Disease Control…
