Texas Health Worker Tests positive for Ebola, First in US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas tested positive for Ebola after a preliminary test, the state's health agency said.
Confirmatory testing will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The employee helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person ever diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. Duncan died Wednesday.
"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said in a statement Sunday morning.
"We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."
The health care worker reported a low-grade fever Friday night and was isolated, the health department said.
The preliminary test result came in late Saturday.
If confirmed by the CDC, the health care worker's case would mark the first known transmission of Ebola in the United States and the second-ever diagnosis in the country.
David Sanders, associate professor of biological sciences at Purdue University, said he thinks the CDC testing will probably support the preliminary results.
"It sounds likely that it's positive, and it's going to stay positive."
Globally, the disease has wrought catastrophic consequences, CNN reported.
The World Health Organization estimates more than 8,300 people have contracted Ebola during this year's outbreak. Of those, more than 4,000 have died.
