CDC Confirms American Nurse Who Tended Dallas Ebola Patient Has Contracted the Deadly Disease
By Allie Goolrick
Weather.com
Oct 12, 2014
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta confirmed on Sunday afternoon that a female nurse who tended to a Liberian Ebola patient in Texas has contracted the deadly disease, CNN reports. This marks first time anyone has contracted the disease inside the U.S.
The health care worker was in full protective gear when she treated Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Presbyterian Hospital, according to the Associated Press. Duncan, who was the first person to be diagnosed with the deadly disease in the U.S., died Wednesday.
“That health care worker is a heroic person who provided care to Mr. Duncan,” Dallas Judge Clay Jenkins said at a news conference Sunday morning, NBC News reports.
The nurse is currently in stable condition and has been placed in isolation, according to CNN.
In a news conference on Sunday, Dr. Daniel Varga, of the Texas Health Resources, said that the worker wore a gown, gloves, mask and a shield as prescribed by the CDC when she tended to Duncan on his second visit to the hospital. Health workers in contact with Duncan were told to self-monitor for symptoms of the disease and the nurse reported a fever on Friday.
“We knew a second case could be a reality, and we’ve been preparing for this possibility,” Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said in a statement Sunday. “We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.”
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