Hospital waste generation during an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Taiwan

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2006 May;27(5):519-22. doi: 10.1086/503691. Epub 2006 Apr 24.

Abstract

During the SARS outbreak in Taiwan, the number of ambulatory patients and inpatients treated at one medical center decreased by 40%-70% because of the increasing number of SARS patients. At the peak of the epidemic, the amount of hospital infectious waste had increased from a norm of 0.85 kg per patient-day to 2.7 kg per patient-day. However, the hospital was able to return the generation of waste to normal levels within 10 days.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Hospitals / standards
  • Hospitals / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Infection Control
  • Medical Waste Disposal* / methods
  • Medical Waste Disposal* / standards
  • Medical Waste Disposal* / statistics & numerical data
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / epidemiology*
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / virology
  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus*
  • Taiwan / epidemiology

Substances

  • Medical Waste Disposal