Checklist for Patients Being Evaluated for 

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the United States 

Upon arrival to clinical setting/triage

 Does patient have fever (subjective or ≥101.5°F)?

 Does patient have compatible EVD symptoms such as 

headache, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, 

abdominal pain or hemorrhage?

 Has the patient traveled to an Ebola-affected area in 

the 21 days before illness onset?

Upon initial assessment

 Isolate patient in single room with a private bathroom 

and with the door to hallway closed

 Implement standard, contact, & droplet precautions

 Notify the hospital Infection Control Program at 

________________________________________

 Report to the health department at ____________

Conduct a risk assessment for: 

High-risk exposures

 Percutaneous (e.g., needle stick) or mucous membrane 

exposure to blood or body fluids from an EVD patient

 Direct skin contact with skin, blood or body fluids from 

an EVD patient

 Processing blood or body fluids from an EVD patient 

without appropriate PPE 

 Direct contact with a dead body in an Ebola-affected 

area without appropriate PPE

Low-risk exposures

 Household members of an EVD patient or others who 

had brief direct contact (e.g., shaking hands) with an 

EVD patient without appropriate PPE

 Healthcare personnel in facilities with EVD patients 

who have been in care areas of EVD patients without 

recommended PPE

Before entering patient room, wear:

 Gown (fluid resistant or impermeable)

 Facemask

 Eye protection (goggles or face shield)

 Gloves

If likely to be exposed to blood or body 

fluids, additional PPE may include but 

isn’t limited to:

 Double gloving

 Disposable shoe covers

 Leg coverings

Upon exiting patient room

 PPE should be carefully removed without 

contaminating one’s eyes, mucous membranes, or 

clothing with potentially infectious materials

 Discard disposable PPE

 Re-useable PPE should be cleaned and disinfected 

per the manufacturer’s reprocessing instructions 

 Hand hygiene should be performed immediately 

after removal of PPE

During aerosol-generating procedures

 Limit number of personnel present 

 Conduct in an airborne infection isolation room

 Don PPE as described above except use a NIOSH 

certified fit-tested N95 filtering facepiece respirator for 

respiratory protection or alternative (e.g., PAPR) instead 

of a facemask

Patient placement and care considerations

 Maintain log of all persons entering patient’s room

 Use dedicated disposable medical equipment 

(if possible) 

 Limit the use of needles and other sharps 

 Limit phlebotomy and laboratory testing to those 

procedures essential for diagnostics and medical care 

 Carefully dispose of all needles and sharps in punctureproof sealed containers

 Avoid aerosol-generating procedures if possible

 Wear PPE (detailed in center box) during environmental 

cleaning and use an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant 

with a label claim for non-enveloped viruses*

Initial patient management

 Consult with health department about diagnostic EVD 

RT-PCR testing** 

 Consider, test for, and treat (when appropriate) other 

possible infectious causes of symptoms (e.g., malaria, 

bacterial infections)

 Provide aggressive supportive care including aggressive 

IV fluid resuscitation if warranted

 Assess for electrolyte abnormalities and replete 

 Evaluate for evidence of bleeding and assess 

hematologic and coagulation parameters

 Symptomatic management of fever, nausea, vomiting, 

diarrhea, and abdominal pain

 Consult health department regarding other 

treatment options

This checklist is not intended to be comprehensive. 

Additions and modifications to fit local practice are 

encouraged.

* see http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/environmental-infection-control-in-hospitals.html for more information ** see http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/interim-guidance-specimen-collection-submission-patients-suspected-infection-ebola.html

Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

 Use a buddy system to ensure that PPE is put on and 

removed safely