CDC Confirms Positive Ebola Test For Dallas Nurse
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the Ebola patient who was hospitalized and later died there has tested positive for the disease.
The caregiver had tested positive for the disease in a preliminary test at the state public health laboratory in Austin on Saturday evening. Late Sunday afternoon, CDC officials confirmed the results.
"This development is understandably disturbing news for the patient, the patient's family and colleagues and the greater Dallas community," the CDC said in a statement.
The caregiver has been listed in stable condition.
Dr. David Varga, of the Texas Health Resource, said during a news conference early Sunday that the worker wore a gown, gloves, mask and shield while they provided care to the now-deceased Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan during his second visit to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Varga did not identify the worker and says the family of the worker has "requested total privacy." So far, officials have only identified the caregiver as a woman.
At a later press conference, Varga said the worker had extensive contact with Duncan during his treatment.
If the preliminary diagnosis is confirmed, it would be the first known case of the disease being contracted or transmitted in the U.S.
Varga said the health care worker reported a fever Friday night as part of a self-monitoring regimen required by the CDC.
The health care worker was then isolated within 90 minutes in the hospital's ICU and referred for testing. The preliminary test result was received late Saturday.
CDC Director Thomas Frieden told CBS' "Face The Nation" in an interview airing Sunday morning that the case is troubling "because clearly there was a breach in protocol."
"We have the ability to prevent the spread of Ebola by caring safely for patients," Frieden said.
Frieden said that despite the safety protocols, "even a single breach can result in contamination."
Officials will be looking at the protective gear used in caring for Duncan, as well as how the gear was used by workers, Frieden said.
Another possibility for spreading the disease was the "the interventions that were done to try desperately to keep the index patient alive, (including) dialysis and intubation. These are two procedures which can result in the spread of infectious material," Frieden said.
Officials are still investigating how exactly the health care worker might have contracted the disease.
A second person who was in contact with the worker has been isolated and has begun the self-monitoring, although officials did not say what relation that person had to the worker who tested positive. Officials also said the health care worker had a pet that will be monitored, although they did not specify what species.
Texas officials said hazmat teams have cleaned the apartment and the surrounding complex in which the health care worker lived and police have informed neighbors of the situation.
We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. "We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."
Health officials have interviewed the patient and are identifying any contacts or potential exposures. People who had contact with the health care worker after symptoms emerged will be monitored based on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus.
Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with the Ebola virus on U.S. soil, died last week.
Duncan, 42, died at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where he was admitted Sept. 28 and kept in isolation, according to spokesman Wendell Watson. Wendell said the death left officials with "profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment."
Duncan carried the deadly virus with him from his home in Liberia, though he showed no signs when he left for the United States. He is believed to have contracted the disease while helping a pregnant woman sick with it. The woman later died.
Duncan arrived in Dallas in late September, realizing a long-held ambition to join relatives. He came to attend the high-school graduation of his son, who was born in a refugee camp in Ivory Coast and was brought to the U.S. as a toddler when the boy's mother successfully applied for resettlement.
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