The hazmat protective gear that health care workers and others fighting the deadly Ebola virus are wearing has become a key weapon in the battle to contain the largest-ever outbreak of the disease.
And the outbreak, which the World Health Organization said could lead to 10,000 new cases a week in West Africa within the next two months, has put the DuPont Co. on the front line of the response effort.
Wilmington-based DuPont is supplying protective equipment such as suits, boots, aprons and sleeves in affected areas, as well as information on biological protection. Photos of the cleanup of the Dallas apartment where the first Ebola patient in the United States lived while symptomatic show a team wearing DuPont hazmat suits. “DuPont is deeply concerned for those impacted by the Ebola outbreak and we have been working since its onset to assist in the response effort,” the company said in a statement.
Since the outbreak began in West Africa in March, DuPont has more than tripled production of the most-used products for the treatment of infected patients, DuPont spokesman Dan Turner said. Because DuPont doesn’t make hazmat suits exclusively, its stock has been volatile along with the market in general. DuPont stock closed at $66.43 Wednesday, up 55¢ from Tuesday. That’s below its 52-week high of $72.92 but more than its 52-week low of $58.03.