Dallas Nurse Tests Positive For Ebola After Treating Thomas Eric Duncan In Texas Hospital

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, confirmed this morning on CBS News’ Face the Nation that a Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital caregiver has contracted Ebola virus disease while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan.

 

According to CNN, She helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person ever diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, Texas Health Resources chief clinical officer Dan Varga said.  The nurse is in stable condition, Varga said.

The nurse was involved in Duncan's second visit to the hospital, when he was admitted for treatment, and was wearing protective gear as prescribed by the CDC: gown, gloves, mask and shield, Varga said.

The official familiar with the case told CNN that the CDC will investigate to see if guidelines were followed properly. "The CDC is looking very carefully around the circumstances of this patient's infection and will look to see if there were any breaches and, if so, what those were," the official said.

A "close contact" of the nurse has been "proactively" placed in isolation, Varga said.

Duncan died Wednesday.