The Ebola virus can spread through the human waste of an infected person, and hospitals in the United States may not be able to properly handle such waste, according to Reuters report.
For example, Stericycle, which handles the waste from Atlanta-based Emory University Hospital, initially refused to handle waste from the hospital's Ebola patients, according to the report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also headquartered in Atlanta, was able to make a deal between Stericycle and the hospital, but for six days, waste from the Ebola patients accumulated at the hospital.
Part of the confusion stems from discrepancies in how the CDC says Ebola waste should be handled and what the U.S. Department of Transportation stipulates. According to Reuters, the CDC recommends hospitals place waste from Ebola patients in leak-proof containers and discard them like normal medical waste. However, the DOT classifies Ebola as an agent that is possibly life-threatening, and says transporting Ebola patient waste requires special packaging and training.
According to the report, the DOT, CDC, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Waste & Recycling Association are in talks to sort out the issue, so U.S. hospitals in the future will be better prepared to treat Ebola patients and discard of the infectious waste properly.