U.S. demand for Ebola protection leaves Africa short

American demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) to treat Ebola is leaving the West African countries affected by the outbreak in short supply, according to the Wall Street Journal. Only a few manufacturers produce the suits and suppliers are struggling to meet demand. In November alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered nearly $3 million worth of PPE, as CDC guidelines state PPE is needed not just for healthcare workers, but also for any firefighters who might come in contact with a patient. Meanwhile, Christian charity World Vision spent much of the last month trying to purchase 20,000 PPE suits to get to the families of Ebola victims in Sierra Leone, according to the Journal. Article