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| Second Texas health-care worker tests positive for Ebola; is isolated within 90 minutes | Second Texas health-care worker tests positive for Ebola; is isolated within 90 minutes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A second Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital worker who cared for the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States has tested positive for the disease, Texas health officials announced Wednesday morning. | A second Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital worker who cared for the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States has tested positive for the disease, Texas health officials announced Wednesday morning. |
| “The health-care worker reported a fever Tuesday and was immediately isolated at the hospital,” a statement from the Texas Department of State Health Services said. | “The health-care worker reported a fever Tuesday and was immediately isolated at the hospital,” a statement from the Texas Department of State Health Services said. |
| Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said at a news conference that the female worker was isolated within 90 minutes of taking an elevated temperature reading. He also warned that additional cases could be on the horizon. | Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said at a news conference that the female worker was isolated within 90 minutes of taking an elevated temperature reading. He also warned that additional cases could be on the horizon. |
| “We are preparing contingencies for more, and that is a very real possibility,” Jenkins said. | “We are preparing contingencies for more, and that is a very real possibility,” Jenkins said. |
| The health department said the preliminary Ebola test was conducted late Tuesday at the state public health laboratory in Austin and results were received at about midnight. Confirmatory testing on a separate specimen will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. | The health department said the preliminary Ebola test was conducted late Tuesday at the state public health laboratory in Austin and results were received at about midnight. Confirmatory testing on a separate specimen will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. |
| “Today’s development … while concerning and unfortunate, is continued evidence that our monitoring system is working,” said Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer for Texas Health Resources, the hospital system to which the Dallas hospital belongs. | “Today’s development … while concerning and unfortunate, is continued evidence that our monitoring system is working,” said Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer for Texas Health Resources, the hospital system to which the Dallas hospital belongs. |
| The second infection of a health worker at the facility has called into question the procedures in place to protect workers. Varga said he does not believe that there is a “systematic” or institutional problem at the hospital, but he acknowledged some missteps. | The second infection of a health worker at the facility has called into question the procedures in place to protect workers. Varga said he does not believe that there is a “systematic” or institutional problem at the hospital, but he acknowledged some missteps. |
| The second Ebola-stricken worker, who was not named, helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, who died at the same hospital after coming down with the deadly virus following a flight from Liberia. The first health-care worker who cared for Duncan and came down with the disease, Nina Pham, was said to be doing better. | The second Ebola-stricken worker, who was not named, helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, who died at the same hospital after coming down with the deadly virus following a flight from Liberia. The first health-care worker who cared for Duncan and came down with the disease, Nina Pham, was said to be doing better. |
| “A lot is being said about what may or may not have occurred to cause our colleagues to contract this disease, but it’s clear there was an exposure somewhere, sometime in their treatment of Mr. Duncan,” Varga said. “We’re a hospital that may have done some things differently with the benefit of what we know today.” | “A lot is being said about what may or may not have occurred to cause our colleagues to contract this disease, but it’s clear there was an exposure somewhere, sometime in their treatment of Mr. Duncan,” Varga said. “We’re a hospital that may have done some things differently with the benefit of what we know today.” |
| “No one wants to get this right more than our hospital,” he added. | “No one wants to get this right more than our hospital,” he added. |
| [Read: Dallas hospital learned its Ebola protocols on the fly.] | [Read: Dallas hospital learned its Ebola protocols on the fly.] |
| “Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored,” the Texas Department of State Health Services statement said. “The type of monitoring depends on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus.” | “Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored,” the Texas Department of State Health Services statement said. “The type of monitoring depends on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus.” |
| Early Wednesday, Dallas officials began the process of decontaminating the second health-care worker’s apartment, distributing information fliers throughout the neighborhood and issuing reverse 911 information calls to residents. | Early Wednesday, Dallas officials began the process of decontaminating the second health-care worker’s apartment, distributing information fliers throughout the neighborhood and issuing reverse 911 information calls to residents. |
| Dallas Police Department Maj. Max Geron handed out fliers to media that he said had been given to hundreds of residents of the Village Bend apartment complex in northeast Dallas, just a few miles from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. | Dallas Police Department Maj. Max Geron handed out fliers to media that he said had been given to hundreds of residents of the Village Bend apartment complex in northeast Dallas, just a few miles from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. |
| The sheet, bearing logos of City of Dallas, Dallas County, Dallas Independent School District and the CDC, advises that a “health care worker who lives in your area has tested positive for Ebola…. While this may be concerning, there is no ongoing danger to your health….” | The sheet, bearing logos of City of Dallas, Dallas County, Dallas Independent School District and the CDC, advises that a “health care worker who lives in your area has tested positive for Ebola…. While this may be concerning, there is no ongoing danger to your health….” |
| Decon in progress in apt building of 2nd health care worker with Ebola. @dallasfireres_q @dallaspiosana #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/QGACzhqXvA — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 | Decon in progress in apt building of 2nd health care worker with Ebola. @dallasfireres_q @dallaspiosana #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/QGACzhqXvA — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 |
| Decon in progress in apt building of 2nd health care worker with Ebola. @dallasfireres_q @dallaspiosana #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/QGACzhqXvA | Decon in progress in apt building of 2nd health care worker with Ebola. @dallasfireres_q @dallaspiosana #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/QGACzhqXvA |
| — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 | — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 |
| Flyer distributed to residents in cmplx of 2nd hlth care wrkr w/Ebola. @dallaspiosana @DallasFireRes_q #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/dC1RY6MoLE — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 | Flyer distributed to residents in cmplx of 2nd hlth care wrkr w/Ebola. @dallaspiosana @DallasFireRes_q #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/dC1RY6MoLE — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 |
| Flyer distributed to residents in cmplx of 2nd hlth care wrkr w/Ebola. @dallaspiosana @DallasFireRes_q #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/dC1RY6MoLE — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 | Flyer distributed to residents in cmplx of 2nd hlth care wrkr w/Ebola. @dallaspiosana @DallasFireRes_q #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/dC1RY6MoLE — Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) October 15, 2014 |
| Dallas officials had said earlier that 77 workers were potentially exposed to Duncan in the hospital before he died Oct. 8, and they are being monitored daily for any signs of fever or other symptoms. Pham, the nurse who was diagnosed Sunday, is now in good condition. She had direct contact with one person while she was symptomatic — the only time a person with Ebola is infectious — and that person has no symptoms and is being monitored, officials said. | Dallas officials had said earlier that 77 workers were potentially exposed to Duncan in the hospital before he died Oct. 8, and they are being monitored daily for any signs of fever or other symptoms. Pham, the nurse who was diagnosed Sunday, is now in good condition. She had direct contact with one person while she was symptomatic — the only time a person with Ebola is infectious — and that person has no symptoms and is being monitored, officials said. |
| It was not immediately known how many people the second worker had come in contact with; those contacts will now have to be traced and checked. | It was not immediately known how many people the second worker had come in contact with; those contacts will now have to be traced and checked. |
| Jenkins, the Dallas County judge, said the procedure of allowing the remaining 75 health workers to self-monitor their temperatures and look for signs of other symptoms such as diarrhea is working. | Jenkins, the Dallas County judge, said the procedure of allowing the remaining 75 health workers to self-monitor their temperatures and look for signs of other symptoms such as diarrhea is working. |
| “This is not going to be a situation where we’re going to put protective orders on 75 health workers,” Jenkins said. “The system right now is working.” | “This is not going to be a situation where we’re going to put protective orders on 75 health workers,” Jenkins said. “The system right now is working.” |
| The 48 other contacts of the index patient who were not health-care workers are still being monitored, and so far none are symptomatic. Most are in the final stages of the 21-day monitoring period and are unlikely to contract the virus at this point, the CDC said on Tuesday. | The 48 other contacts of the index patient who were not health-care workers are still being monitored, and so far none are symptomatic. Most are in the final stages of the 21-day monitoring period and are unlikely to contract the virus at this point, the CDC said on Tuesday. |
| The handling of the Ebola cases in Texas has become the nation’s first real encounter with the disease and its infectiousness — and it is becoming a case study in how not to deal with such a dangerous virus, which is spread through contact with bodily fluids of those infected. | The handling of the Ebola cases in Texas has become the nation’s first real encounter with the disease and its infectiousness — and it is becoming a case study in how not to deal with such a dangerous virus, which is spread through contact with bodily fluids of those infected. |
| Indeed, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said the agency regretted its initial response to the first Ebola diagnosis in Texas, acknowledging that more could have been done to combat infection at the hospital treating Duncan. He said authorities still don’t know how exactly Pham was infected — whether it involved a flaw in her personal protection gear or in the way the gear was used. | Indeed, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said the agency regretted its initial response to the first Ebola diagnosis in Texas, acknowledging that more could have been done to combat infection at the hospital treating Duncan. He said authorities still don’t know how exactly Pham was infected — whether it involved a flaw in her personal protection gear or in the way the gear was used. |
| Nurses at the hospital, who spoke anonymously through National Nurses United, citing fear of retribution, said protocols at the hospital were “constantly changing” and that nurses received minimal training in infection-control procedures. | |
| In the initial hours and days of treating Duncan in isolation, nurses said they wore non-impermeable gowns, with no protection for their necks. | In the initial hours and days of treating Duncan in isolation, nurses said they wore non-impermeable gowns, with no protection for their necks. |
| And they accused the hospital of sending contaminated lab specimens from Duncan through the same hospital tube system used for all patients, rather than specially sealing or hand delivering them. The result was that the entire lab tube system was potentially contaminated, they added. | And they accused the hospital of sending contaminated lab specimens from Duncan through the same hospital tube system used for all patients, rather than specially sealing or hand delivering them. The result was that the entire lab tube system was potentially contaminated, they added. |
| The nurses at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital are not members of National Nurses United or any union in Texas. | |
| On Tuesday, Frieden announced that steps were taken to shore up infection and safety control procedures at the hospital, including the addition of a 24-hour site manager to monitor the process of taking off and putting on personal protective equipment. | On Tuesday, Frieden announced that steps were taken to shore up infection and safety control procedures at the hospital, including the addition of a 24-hour site manager to monitor the process of taking off and putting on personal protective equipment. |
| “What I think we believe that what we could have done better was the oversight of the implementation of the protocols,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told CNN on Wednesday morning. | “What I think we believe that what we could have done better was the oversight of the implementation of the protocols,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told CNN on Wednesday morning. |
| “I do have confidence in the CDC and Dr. Frieden,” she added. | “I do have confidence in the CDC and Dr. Frieden,” she added. |
| Now that there appear to be two cases of Ebola transmission among health-care workers, the agency and its director are likely to face further questions about whether something systemic went wrong. | Now that there appear to be two cases of Ebola transmission among health-care workers, the agency and its director are likely to face further questions about whether something systemic went wrong. |
| Amy Ellis Nutt in Dallas contributed to this report. | Amy Ellis Nutt in Dallas contributed to this report. |
| [This post has been updated.] | [This post has been updated.] |
| Related: | Related: |
| U.S. must ‘rethink’ Ebola protocols | U.S. must ‘rethink’ Ebola protocols |
| The math is clear. Ebola is winning | |
| Facebook couple donates $25 million | Facebook couple donates $25 million |
| Decades old treatment may save Nina Pham | Decades old treatment may save Nina Pham |
| For health workers, it’s despair on all fronts | |
| Yelling ‘I have Ebola!’ on a bus can get you arrested | |
| Poll: Americans are worried and want travel restrictions | |
| CDC doesn’t know how many Dallas nurses may have been exposed to Ebola | CDC doesn’t know how many Dallas nurses may have been exposed to Ebola |