Bay Area ambulances taking steps to stop spread of Ebola

A leading ambulance provider that operates in several Bay Area counties is announcing new steps to check the spread of the Ebola virus.

The company is called American Medical Response, or AMR. They cover San Francisco, San Mateo and Contra Costa counties, and plan on changing the way they deal with patients to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

There are no known cases of a person being infected with Ebola on American soil. But a few infected in Africa have been brought to the U.S. for treatment.

Health care providers nationwide are taking a wide variety of precautions...

At AMR, paramedics and EMTs are now asking patients if they've been to Africa. If the answer is yes, emergency workers are to immediately put on extra protective gear. That includes shoe coverings, a mask and goggles.

They are also supposed to alert health authorities that the patient might have Ebola.

The company also has put together guidelines for patients who have tested positive for the virus.

It isn't clear yet whether these precautions are overkill, or not nearly enough.

But medical experts say that at the very least, the Ebola scare is giving them a chance to reinforce and test infection control procedures.