A Dallas health worker who tended to Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States, has Ebola, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Sunday, October 12. This is the first Ebola infection outside West Africa.
The health worker who is part of the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital helped Duncan over the many days that he had been in isolation until his death around a week ago. The still-unnamed nurse and now patient is also believed to have worn the protective suit and gear, including a face mask and shield, all throughout those days.
However, according to the CDC, it's possible that along the way, the nurse had committed an Ebola protocol breach, which then led to her infection. CDC is currently evaluating the degree of exposure the health worker had with the patient as it may also indicate how exposed her colleagues are to the disease.
So far, the nurse was immediately put into isolation upon her arrival in the hospital and before the Ebola test was taken. She herself took some precautionary measures including taking her body temperature twice daily. Her condition is presently described as stable.
She also had a very limited contact with other people with only 1 person currently being monitored. Meanwhile, none of the people Duncan came into contact with and are placed under quarantine developed Ebola symptoms.
Her apartment and car were also disinfected, while Dallas police officers distributed pamphlets containing information about the disease in the neighborhood.
Her case, however, only worsens the lingering concern of the U.S. population about Ebola. Health workers of the same hospital questioned the level of preparedness of the government. It can also be recalled that the original patient, Duncan, was released from the hospital the first time he came in with his symptoms.
Nevertheless, the CDC downplays the new case, saying that they have already foreseen such possibility given the amount of exposure health workers had with the first patient. They also renewed their commitment in fighting off the disease and contain its spread.