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A Dallas health worker who helped treat the Liberian man who died of Ebola last week has tested positive for the virus, according to state health officials. “We knew a second case could be a reality, and we’ve been preparing for this possibility,” said Dr. David Lakey, the Texas health commissioner. “We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.” The identity of the worker was not disclosed, though CNN confirmed she is a female nurse working at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died last week. The nurse, who is in stable condition, was isolated on Friday night when she reported a low-grade fever.
According to Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an investigation will look into how a worker in full protective gear still managed to contract the virus. "At some point there was a breach in protocol," Frieden said. "That breach in protocol resulted in this infection." President Obama has ordered Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to ensure an expedited report into the protocol breach. He has also ordered additional federal steps to help hospitals prevent and combat the spread of Ebola.
Boston experienced a brief Ebola scare on Sunday when a man was believed to be infected with the virus. Dozens of workers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston were quarantined if they had been in contact with the man, who recently returned from Liberia. However, the man “does not appear to meet CDC criteria to be considered someone at high risk for Ebola, and the likelihood of Ebola virus disease is extremely low," the hospital said in a statement.