Hospital Worker Infected With Ebola

A Texas health care worker who provided care to the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. has tested positive for the deadly virus.

The first U.S. patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, died Wednesday. The worker was reported to be in stable condition and in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. The hospital is not accepting other emergency patients for the time being.

The Guardian reports:

At a Sunday morning press conference at the hospital, it was confirmed that a close contact of the healthcare worker – who officials said was wearing full protective gear when he or she made contact with Duncan – has also been placed, “proactively”, in isolation. The new case is the first person-to-person transmission of the disease in the US.

Dr Tom Frieden, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the diagnosis of the healthcare worker showed there had been a clear breach of safety protocol at the hospital.

“We’re deeply concerned about this new development,” Frieden said on CBS. “I think the fact that we don’t know of a breach in protocol is concerning because clearly there was a breach in protocol. We have the ability to prevent the spread of Ebola by caring safely for patients.”