A second health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas who provided health care for Thomas Eric Duncan has tested positive for Ebola after a preliminary test, according to a statement at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday.
The health care worker reported a fever on Tuesday, and is the second person known to have contracted Ebola in the United States, and the third person to have been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States.
.@MaxDPD :@DallasFireRes_q hazmat suiting up to decon apartment of 2nd health care worker with Ebola #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/Y2nM2q6GWx
— Dallas Police Depart (@DallasPD) October 15, 2014
The newest health worker/patient infected with Ebola lived alone in the 6000 block of Village Bend Drive in Dallas. The health worker had no pets. Health officials are watching 125 people with eleven with definite exposure to the second health care worker.
Reverse 9-1-1 calls went out at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Currently 77 workers at the hospital are being monitored with two testing positive for Ebola.
The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States was Thomas Eric Duncan, who arrived in the United States from Liberia, West Africa on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. He sought care at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas on September 26, 2014, but was turned away. He returned to the hospital on September 28, 2014 and was admitted. Thomas Eric Duncan, also known as “the index patient” or “patient zero” died Wednesday morning, October 1, 2014.
There are 48 contacts with the “index patient” Thomas Eric Duncan. Sunday will mark the end of the monitoring period of those people as the known maximum time from contact to contraction of disease in the incubation period will have expired.
Decon in progress in apt building of 2nd health care worker with Ebola. @dallasfireres_q @dallaspiosana #DallasEbola pic.twitter.com/cjbgO7EKZi
— Dallas Police Depart (@DallasPD) October 15, 2014
Blood samples are tested for viral antibodies, viral RNA, or the virus itself to confirm the diagnosis.
From 1976 (when Ebola Virus Disease was first identified) through 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of 1,716 cases. During the current outbreak of 2014 in West Africa beginning March 2014 through October 2014, WHO has reported 8,376 cases with 4024 deaths, according to the case count page of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). While the total cases are listed at 8,376, the total laboratory-confirmed cases is 4633.
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