The director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that worker safety guidelines were not followed at the Dallas hospital where a nurse became infected with Ebola in the course of treating a Liberian man who died from the disease on Oct. 8. The director, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, did not identify what the failure was, but suggested there should be further investigation of certain aspects of the care by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

Here is what the C.D.C. recommends for health care workers on its website. Pages from the C.D.C.’s Ebola site. Within the dozens of pages of Ebola information, the instructions for health care workers include a summary of the personal protective equipment that must be worn: Gloves

Fluid-resistant or impermeable gown

Goggles or a face shield

Face mask over the nose and mouth They also suggest that in “certain situations” that involve large amounts of blood, vomit or other fluids, more protective equipment might be required such as a second pair of gloves, shoe covers and leg covers. In his news conference, Dr. Frieden suggested that two procedures used in the treatment of Mr. Duncan were unusual for an Ebola patient and merited review: respiratory intubation and dialysis. These procedures can spread contaminated material.

Detailed Guidance on Protective Gear Within this dense set of guidelines, there are sections on gloves, gowns, goggles, face shields and masks. Here is a short excerpt: “While there is little difference in the barrier properties of unused intact gloves, studies have shown repeatedly that vinyl gloves have higher failure rates than latex or nitrile gloves when tested under simulated and actual clinical conditions.”