Dallas Health Care Worker Infected with Ebola
A health care worker in a Texas hospital has been diagnosed with the Ebola virus. If confirmed, this will be the first case of transmission to have occurred on United States soil. The health care worker was exposed while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who traveled to the United States while infected with the virus. He later died from the illness.
The newly infected health care worker, who has not been identified, reported having a fever on Friday night. She was then isolated and tested for Ebola infection. Test results on Saturday indicated Ebola may be the cause of her symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control CDC is performing testing today to confirm the diagnosis.
Doctors are working with the CDC to help stop the spread of the virus. There is no clear answer as to when the health care worker contracted the virus. Some speculate that the health care worker was exposed prior to Thomas Eric Duncan being put into isolation, however, further details are necessary to confirm this information.
Since confirmation of infection with Ebola takes up to 21 days, all contacts of the health care worker are being monitored. Ebola is known to be spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, and is not thought to easily spread through the air.
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