Second Dallas Nurse Confirmed with Ebola Virus

Judge Clay Jenkins of Dallas reporting the second case of Eloba infected nurses. Image-Youtube
Judge Clay Jenkins of Dallas reporting the second case of Eloba infected nurses. Image-Youtube

A second nurse has been confirmed to have contracted Ebola connected with the care of Thomas Eric Duncan.

Director of the Center for Disease Control Dr Thomas Frieden says that the health worker boarded a commercial airliner from Cleveland to Dallas on Monday just one day before she reported the symptoms of the deadly pathogen.

Frieden states that the woman, identified as 29-year-old Amber Vinson, should never have boarded the commercial flight as she was one of 76 known to have cared for Duncan and was to be self-monitoring. Frieden said in a statement, “The second health care worker reported no symptoms and no fever, however, because at that point, she was in a group of individuals known to have had contact with an Ebola patient, she should not have traveled.” Frieden would later state that the nurse had an elevated temperature of 99.5 degrees before she boarded that flight back to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Vinson traveled on a Frontier Ailines commercial flight from Cleveland to Fort Worth. That flight landed  in Fort Worth at 8:16 pm on Monday. CDC will begin contacting and interviewing all 132 passengers that were aboard that flight with the assistance of Frontier Airlines.

Vinson contacted health officials, and within 90 minutes of confirming a fever,was immediately placed in isolation and interviewed to ascertain who she had contact with. At midnight, results of the preliminary tests came back positive for the virus, other tests are scheduled for today in Atlanta. Vinson is being transported to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for further treatment.

Mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings states that a team has been sent to Vinson’s home and in the process of disinfecting it and the inside of her vehicle. That vehicle will be removed from the area today.

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The first nurse to contract the deadly virus is now in “good” condition following a transfusion from a person who had contracted the disease and survived. Duncan was unable to receive a transfusion from this person as his blood type did not match.