AUSTIN, Texas — Sunday, officials with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) held a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia and addressed concerns arising after a second case of Ebola was diagnosed in Texas, the first case transmitted within the United States, and said that while they were following a strict set of precautions, more Ebola cases were possible.
As Breitbart Texas reported earlier, the new Ebola patient is a health care worker who treated Thomas Eric Duncan, and the worker was wearing protective gear, including a gown, gloves, mask, and shield while treating Duncan. Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the CDC, blamed the new Ebola case on “a clear breach of safety protocol.” One issue that the CDC is investigating is how workers removed protective gear that they wore to treat Duncan and whether the contamination happened then. Dr. Frieden acknowledged that more cases of Ebola were possible and the CDC was continuing to monitor every person who was possibly in contact with anyone who was exposed. He was confident in the CDC’s ability to contain the situation. “There is no doubt that we can break the chains of transmission…we’ve done it before.”
Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, and a member of the Ebola Task Force appointed by Governor Perry released a statement Sunday confirming what Dr. Frieden said. “We knew a second case could be a reality, and we’ve been preparing for this possibility. We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.”
Breitbart Texas will continue to follow this story.
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