An employee of Canada's national animal health lab is in isolation for 21 days following possible exposure to the Ebola virus, news agenciesreport.
The employee was working with pigs that had been invected with Ebola to test how the disease responds to treatment with immune response proteins, CBC reports. The employee was going through standard decontamination procedures before leaving the lab when he or she noticed a split in the seam of their protective suit.
Ebola is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids. "There is no reason to believe the employee involved in Monday's incident was in contact with the bodily fluids of the infected pig, according to Rebecca Gilman, spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency of Canada," CNN reports.
The incident illustrates why personal protective equipment should not be the only barrier between a lab worker--or the outside world--and possible harm. Multiple approaches are necessary so that a single weakness does not lead to illness or injury.