An automated, manual or semi-automated donning system may be used to mechanically don wearable protective articles, such as gloves, without human contact with the outer surface of the wearable article. Thus, the system can be used to render wearable protective articles less capable of transferring disease organisms. In the donning system, a vacuum device can prepare a donning article for use in the donning system by inflating the article using negative pressure to the article's outer surface. Packaging of the wearable protective article may maintain sterility of the article and allow preparation of the article for donning without human contact. In addition, wearable protective articles used in the system may be subject to treatments to destroy potential pathogens. Alternatively, or in addition, a body part of the user may be subject to treatments to destroy potential pathogens during insertion into a wearable protective article prepared for donning by the system.
