When Ebola is suspected but not confirmed, linen should be left in the room until test results are obtained — which can take 24-72 hours, according to an article on the American Laundry News website.

If the tests show the patient is not infected, the linen can be processed according to regular procedure, if the patient has the virus, the linen should be discarded and treated as regulated medical waste. 

Healthcare facilities are advised to avoid placing patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus in carpeted rooms. 

Upholstered furniture and decorative curtains should be removed from the patient room before use to avoid contamination of “reusable porous surfaces that cannot be made single use,” the CDC said.

Only a mattress and pillow with plastic or other covering should be used.

Additional recommendations regarding the use of disinfectants, dealing with spills and recommendations for disposing of waste can be found in Interim Guidance for Environmental Infection Control in Hospitals for Ebola Virus, available online at www.cdc.gov.

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