Dallas Healthcare Worker Tests Positive for Ebola, Could Be First Domestic Transmission
A healthcare worker in Texas has tested positive for the Ebola virus after caring for Thomas Duncan, the man who traveled to Dallas from Liberia and died from Ebola last week. If confirmatory tests are positive, it would mark the first domestic transmission of Ebola in the U.S.
The worker had extensive contact with Duncan after he was put in isolation. She developed a low-grade fever on Friday night and was isolated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Her symptoms are currently mild. She told officials that she did not recall a specific lapse in infection control, but CDC Director Tom Frieden told reporters, "At some point, there was a breach in protocol."
Frieden said investigators will be looking closely at Duncan's kidney dialysis and respiratory intubation — both of which are invasive procedures that could spread contaminated material.
Officials are monitoring one other person who may have had contact with the healthcare worker after she became symptomatic and infectious.
Paul Sax, of NEJM Journal Watch Infectious Diseases, commented, "Just as imported cases of Ebola in the United States were inevitable, so unfortunately will be cases of secondary transmission. Ongoing vigilance for early diagnosis of cases and strict attention to infection control protocols are critical."
Kelly Young - JWatch.org
