An undetermined “breach in protocol” led a Dallas health care worker to be infected with the Ebola virus, and additional cases could be discovered in the coming days, a top federal health official said.
The female worker in Dallas had “extensive contact” on multiple occasions with Thomas Eric Duncan, an Ebola victim who was treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a Sunday news conference.
Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died Wednesday.
“We are assessing her possible contacts from the moment she discovered symptoms,” Frieden said.
The health care worker had been working in full protective gear, including a gown, gloves, mask and shield, while providing care for Duncan.
Among the things CDC will investigate is removal of protective gear, because removing gear incorrectly can lead to a contamination.
Frieden said 48 at-risk people so far are being tested daily and that none have shown symptoms of the virus.
That list could expand, Frieden said. But he added there is no risk of infection to anyone outside “that circle of health care workers.”
Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the worker sought treatment after showing early symptoms of the virus. She tested positive for Ebola Saturday evening.
He said contingency plans are being made, including bringing in more doctors and health care officials to Dallas.
Frieden said the key to stopping further Ebola outbreaks is to “break the link of transmission” by ensuring that every person with Ebola is diagnosed and immediately isolated, and that their initial contact with the virus is identified.
People who treat Ebola patients will be actively monitored for 21 days, and if they show signs of the virus, “we do the same process again.”
“That’s how we’ve stopped every Ebola outbreak in history, except the one currently in West Africa,” Frieden said. “That’s how we will stop it in Dallas.”
