nbcnews | A second Texas health care worker who provided care for Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan
has contracted the virus, according to preliminary test results
released early Wednesday. The worker reported a fever Tuesday and was
immediately isolated at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in
Dallas, state health officials said in a statement.
Confirmatory testing will be carried out by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "Health officials have interviewed
the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential
exposures, and those people will be monitored," the Texas Department of
State Health Services said. "The type of monitoring depends on the
nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the
virus." It is the third case diagnosed in the U.S.
The worker was among those who took care of Duncan, who died a week ago after he was diagnosed with Ebola earlier this month. The first Texas Health Presbyterian nurse to become infected, Nina Pham, said in a statement Tuesday that she was "doing well"
and grateful for her care. The CDC described the latest case involving a
health care worker as a "serious concern." In a statement, it added:
"As we have said before, because of our ongoing investigation, it is not
unexpected that there would be additional exposures." Ebola is spread
through direct contact with bodily fluids of a sick person or exposure
to contaminated objects such as needles. People are not contagious
before symptoms such as fever develop.
