Sunday, October 12, 2014

'Heroic' Health Worker Becomes Second U.S. Ebola Case
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
Officials were decontaminating a Dallas, Texas apartment block Sunday after a health worker tested positive for Ebola in the second U.S. case of the virus. The worker had cared for dying Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan at the city's Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

The worker, who was not identified, is in a stable condition. Confirmatory testing of the worker will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the statement from the Texas Department of State Health Services said.

"That healthcare worker is a heroic person who provided care to Mr Duncan," Dallas Judge Clay Jenkin told a news conference.

Eighty other employees are now being monitored for signs of the disease while 48 others who had contact with Duncan will be interviewed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Steps were being taken to ensure that the infected worker's apartment - and neighbors - were clear of the virus. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said neighbors would be visited by officials to provide reassurance.

At least one other person has been placed in isolation as a precaution.

"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. "We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."

President Barack Obama has been informed of the development.

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