Dallas health worker who tested positive for Ebola wore 'full' protective gear

A Texas health worker who provided care for the first

person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. has tested positive

for the deadly virus in a preliminary examination. (Reuters)

In the first apparent case of Ebola transmission in the United States, a Texas hospital worker who treated an Ebola-stricken Liberian man has tested positive for the deadly virus.

The preliminary test result was announced early Sunday, four days after the death of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas.

The Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital worker reported "a low-grade fever" Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement. This person "was isolated and referred for testing." The preliminary test result was received late Saturday.

In the first case of Ebola transmission in the United States, a Texas nurse who treated an Ebola-stricken Liberian man has tested positive for the deadly virus.

The diagnosis was confirmed Sunday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four days after the death of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas.

Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, said that an unknown breach in protocol led to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital worker being infected and that federal officials are investigating. He said additional CDC staff are heading to Texas.

Frieden also said more cases may be likely.

"We are deeply concerned by the news," he said during a news conference Sunday. Frieden said the worker, whom other officials identified as a female nurse, provided care for Duncan on "multiple occasions" that included "extensive contacts with him."

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins spoke at a news conference Sunday about the Dallas health worker who has been tested positive for Ebola. "That health care worker is a heroic person who helped provide care to Mr. Duncan," said Jenkins. (AP)

Frieden also said the CDC is considering having Ebola patients be treated at one of the four facilities in the United States that have special isolation units. Three of them - the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.; Emory University Hospital in Atlanta; and the University of Nebraska Medical Center - have treated confirmed or suspected Ebola cases. The fourth place is St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Mont.

He outlined several steps that were being taken to care for the health-care worker and prevent the infection of others. Every effort is being made to care for the patient safely and effectively, he said.

The Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital worker reported "a low-grade fever" Friday,according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. She "was isolated and referred for testing," and the preliminary test result was received late Saturday. The CDC confirmed the test on Sunday afternoon.

The CDC did not consider the nurse to be "high risk," said Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer for Texas Health Resources, which operates Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. She treated Duncan, the Ebola patient, after his second visit to the emergency room, on Sept. 28, and was "following full CDC precautions," including wearing a gown, gloves, a mask and a protective face shield.

"We're very concerned," Varga said, though he added that the hospital is "confident that the precautions that we have in place are protecting our health-care workers."

Taking off personal protective equipment - gowns, gloves, face masks, goggles - is also one of the biggest areas of contamination and risk, Frieden said. According to CDC guidelines, protective equipment must be removed in a particular order, without any of the material touching the wearer's skin, mucus membranes or the exterior of the clothing.

One version of the process begins with removing infected gloves, then the goggles or face shield, followed by the protective gown, which must be removed from the inside out, and finally the face mask or respirator. If hands become contaminated by touching the outside of the equipment, they must be washed after each step in the process of removing the personal protective gear.

"It's not easy to do right," Frieden said. CDC and state officials will be investigating how hospital workers followed recommended protocols for doing so.

Officials are also assessing all possible contacts the health-care worker may have had from the moment she developed symptoms on Friday. A CDC epidemiologist has interviewed her, and, so far, there is only one other person who may have had contact with the worker since the symptoms developed, and that individual is under active monitoring, Frieden said.

State, local and federal officials are trying to identify the number of other health-care workers who may potentially have been at risk of exposure, he said. Earlier Sunday, a hospital official said the hospital is tracking the condition of 18 hospital employees. Frieden clarified that the 48 other people who have been monitored - and are not showing symptoms - were people who may have come into contact with Duncan before Sept. 28, when he was admitted to the hospital. Now that the health-care worker is being treated, officials are determining how many other health-care workers may have been exposed after Sept. 28.