A Texas health care worker who treated Ebola victim Thomas Duncan before his death has tested positive for the virus, officials say.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Mr Duncan, who caught the virus in his native Liberia, died at a Dallas hospital on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The health worker has not been named.<\/p>\n
Mr Duncan tested positive in Dallas on 30 September, 10 days after arriving on a flight from Monrovia via Brussels.<\/p>\n
He became ill a few days after arriving in the US, and went to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas with a high fever.<\/p>\n
But despite telling medical staff he had been in Liberia, he was sent home with painkillers and antibiotics.<\/p>\n
Mr Duncan was later put into an isolation unit at the hospital but died despite being given an experimental drug.<\/p>\n
It is not clear whether the health worker, who tested positive in a preliminary test, came into contact with Mr Duncan when he first showed possible symptoms or when he was admitted to hospital.<\/p>\n
He reported a low-grade fever on Friday and was isolated and referred for testing, Texas health care services said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“Health officials have interviewed the patient and are identifying any contacts or potential exposures,” it added.<\/p>\n
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