Ebola protocols questioned despite government confidence

HHS secretary on accusations about Ebola response protocols at Texas hospital

Despite the confirmation of a second heath care worker in Texas infected with Ebola, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell said there haven't been any alterations of the virus that would raise concern about protocols.

CDC ramps up Ebola training for health care workers

With 30 years of treatment and containment of the Ebola virus behind them, Burwell said they knew to implement additional oversight to ensure those protocols were implemented this time.

"There will be 24/7 site managers who will oversee the taking on and taking off of equipment, as well as the fact that we've added additional CDC staff on site," she said on "CBS This Morning."

On Tuesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden noted two Emory University nurses experienced in treating Ebola patients without infecting health-care workers are on the ground in Dallas to provide peer-to-peer training.

One CDC epidemiologist was quoted as saying that the hospital was making up protocol on the fly treating Thomas Eric Duncan.

The nurses have alleged that the lab specimens of Thomas Eric Duncan, the Ebola patient who died, were transported through the tube system instead of being separately sealed and delivered and thus could have potentially contaminated the entire system.

"With regard to the steps that are being taken, I think everyone knows that right now we are in the middle of an investigation to understand where there was a breach so we can better understand how the first healthcare worker and now the second healthcare worker have contracted Ebola," Burwell said.

She assured they will improve upon any hospital protocols like they have in the past.

"We've also seen hospitals, whether it was Charlotte well over a month ago taking actions, and the person that came to them did not have Ebola, but they took those actions," Burwell said.

Health officials recently praised both Emory University Hospital and Nebraska Medical Center, where no health care workers were infected after treating five patients with the disease.

"Our number one priority is to care for that patient as well as the safety of the healthcare workers," she said.

Nevertheless, there is still a concern that despite some working procedures, there is a limit to the number of patients hospitals can treat.

Currently there are only four hospitals that specialize in treating Ebola, and while one -- the Nebraska each of which with only a few beds.

While Burwell didn't specifically address that issue, she said they are educating healthcare workers across the country to ensure important steps are taken, including monitoring a patient's temperature and recording travel history.

"Step two is making sure that the appropriate isolation occurs if a patient is confirmed with Ebola," Burwell said.

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