In what is considered the first Ebola transmission in the US, a female nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas where Thomas Eric Duncan was treated, has tested positive for Ebola after a preliminary test.
A second test to confirm the infection will be done later today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Test results are expected to be announced before the end of Sunday.
Dallas state health officials had earlier released a statement about the case without revealing the identity of the nurse. Texas health commissioner, Dr. David Lakey said;
"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we’ve been preparing for this possibility. We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.”
According to CNN, these are the details of the case available at this time;
She helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person ever diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, Texas Health Resources chief clinical officer Dan Varga said. Duncan died Wednesday.
The nurse is in stable condition, Varga said.
The nurse was involved in Duncan's second visit to the hospital, when he was admitted for treatment, and was wearing protective gear as prescribed by the CDC: gown, gloves, mask and shield, Varga said.
The official familiar with the case told CNN that the CDC will investigate to see if guidelines were followed properly.
"The CDC is looking very carefully around the circumstances of this patient's infection and will look to see if there were any breaches and, if so, what those were," the official said.
A "close contact" of the nurse has been "proactively" placed in isolation, Varga said.
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