Ebola: Health care worker tests positive at Texas hospital

A Texan health worker who treated Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan before he died is also infected with the virus, according to a preliminary test.
The unnamed woman, who is in a stable condition in an isolation ward, wore full protective gear while treating Duncan, officials in Dallas say. If confirmed, this is the first known transmission of Ebola on US soil.
A top federal health official said there had been a clear breach of safety protocol and other cases could follow.
Dr Tom Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said 48 people who may have had contact with Duncan were being monitored for symptoms. He said a complete investigation would be conducted into how the infection had occurred at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
Duncan, who caught the virus in his native Liberia, died on Wednesday. The current Ebola outbreak, concentrated in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, has resulted in more than 8,300 confirmed and suspected cases, and at least 4,033 deaths. ‘High-risk procedures’
No details of the health worker’s identity or position at the hospital were given, in accordance with family wishes. Dr Daniel Varga, of the Texas Health Resource, said she had worn a gown, gloves, mask and shield when providing care to Duncan during his second and final hospital admission.
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Posted by admin on Oct 17 2014. Filed under Community News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry