The fight against the Ebola virus is not over yet as the disease appears to be spreading.
An unidentified health care worker from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas has tested positive for the Ebola virus after undergoing a preliminary test.
According to a statement released earlier this morning by the Texas Department of State Health Services, the worker previously cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, who died of the virus last Wednesday and was the first person to die of Ebola in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta will conduct tests to confirm the diagnosis. If confirmed, the worker’s case will be the first of person-to-person transmission in the country.
Related: Should We Be Scared That The First Ebola Case Has Been Diagnosed In The U.S.?
“We knew a second case could be a reality, and we’ve been preparing for this possibility,” said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Heath care workers from the hospital administered self-monitoring to track the disease. On Friday, the worker reported a fever and was tested; results were confirmed late Saturday. The CDC announced that the worker was not considered to be “high risk” as they wore a protective gown, gloves, mask and face shield.
Since then, Texas health officials have spoken with the patient and are identifying people who may have been in contact with the worker when symptoms developed. The worker is currently in the hospital in stable condition, according to the hospital system.
Meanwhile, the family of Thomas Eric Duncan visited the Rainbow Push Coalition headquarters in Chicago to denounce Duncan’s treatment. At the organization, the family questioned why Duncan was never sent to Emory University Hospital where Dr. Kent Brantly and Dr. Nancy Writebol received treatment when they contracted the virus overseas.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with a sick person’s bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated objects. Ebola sufferers are not contagious until symptoms appear.
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