A Texas healthcare worker who provided care for Thomas Duncan, the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola outside Africa, has tested positive for the deadly virus, officials have said.
The worker at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas reported a low-grade fever on Friday night and was isolated and referred for testing, the state’s department of health services said. The preliminary test result was received late on Saturday.
The unnamed worker had provided care for Duncan, who died on Wednesday after being diagnosed with Ebola last month, while in the US.
Dr David Lakey, commissioner of the department of health services, 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.”
Health officials have interviewed the patient and are identifying any contacts or potential exposures. People who had contact with the healthcare worker after symptoms emerged will be monitored based on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus, the department said.
Duncan travelled from Liberia to the US on 19 September to join his girlfriend, Louise Troh, the mother of his son, Karsiah.
After falling ill a few days later, Duncan was initially sent home from hospital, despite telling a nurse he had recently travelled from west Africa. He was taken by ambulance to Texas Health Presbyterian on 28 September, where he was admitted and placed in isolation.
He was confirmed to have Ebola two days later.
It is believed Duncan contracted the disease while helping take his landlord’s 19-year-old daughter to an Ebola treatment ward in Monrovia.
He did not declare that he had been in contact with Ebola when he completed a pre-flight questionnaire at Monrovia airport before travelling to the US.
On Wednesday, the White House announced that passengers travelling from west Africa will face additional Ebola screenings at five US airports, amid mounting concern that not enough controls were in place to prevent the deadly disease from entering the US.
The current outbreak of Ebola has killed more than 4,000 people in west Africa.
The worker at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas reported a low-grade fever on Friday night and was isolated and referred for testing, the state’s department of health services said. The preliminary test result was received late on Saturday.
The unnamed worker had provided care for Duncan, who died on Wednesday after being diagnosed with Ebola last month, while in the US.Dr David Lakey, commissioner of the department of health services, 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.”
Health officials have interviewed the patient and are identifying any contacts or potential exposures. People who had contact with the healthcare worker after symptoms emerged will be monitored based on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus, the department said.
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| Thomas Eric Duncan, America's first diagnosed Ebola victim, flew from Monrovia, Liberia |
Duncan travelled from Liberia to the US on 19 September to join his girlfriend, Louise Troh, the mother of his son, Karsiah.
After falling ill a few days later, Duncan was initially sent home from hospital, despite telling a nurse he had recently travelled from west Africa. He was taken by ambulance to Texas Health Presbyterian on 28 September, where he was admitted and placed in isolation.
He was confirmed to have Ebola two days later.
It is believed Duncan contracted the disease while helping take his landlord’s 19-year-old daughter to an Ebola treatment ward in Monrovia.
He did not declare that he had been in contact with Ebola when he completed a pre-flight questionnaire at Monrovia airport before travelling to the US.
On Wednesday, the White House announced that passengers travelling from west Africa will face additional Ebola screenings at five US airports, amid mounting concern that not enough controls were in place to prevent the deadly disease from entering the US.
The current outbreak of Ebola has killed more than 4,000 people in west Africa.
