Texas Health Worker Is Positive for Ebola, 1st Known Ebola Transmission in U.S.
October 12th, 2014Via: CNN:
A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas has tested positive for Ebola after a preliminary test, the state’s health agency said.
Confirmatory testing will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The employee helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person ever diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. Duncan died Wednesday.
“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 morning.
“We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.”
The health care worker reported a low-grade fever Friday night and was isolated, the health department said. The preliminary test result came in late Saturday.
If confirmed by the CDC, the health care worker’s case would mark the first known transmission of Ebola in the United States and the second-ever diagnosis in the country.
