--- title: Ebola: Texas Health Worker Tests Positive description: The worker wore full protective gear while caring for an Ebola patient who died Wednesday canonical: https://time.com/3499896/ebola-texas-health-worker-positive/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-12T13:23:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:40:34.728Z article:section: Health og:title: Ebola: Texas Health Worker Tests Positive og:description: The worker had worn full protective gear. og:url: https://time.com/3499896/ebola-texas-health-worker-positive/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt254122893d5e2e2a/69876046e20a8730f2a82677/ebola-dallas-texas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Ebola Dallas Texas Hospital Woker og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ebola: Texas Health Worker Tests Positive twitter:description: The worker had worn full protective gear. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt254122893d5e2e2a/69876046e20a8730f2a82677/ebola-dallas-texas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Health Worker in Texas Tests Positive for Ebola > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Airports To Begin Ebola Screenings [Watch (HLS stream): Airports To Begin Ebola Screenings](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oEffwsLQ.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2014-10-12. Airports To Begin Ebola Screenings_  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Oct 12, 2014 1:23 PM UTC  A hazmat worker moves a barrel while cleaning outside an apartment building of a hospital worker who contracted Ebola in Dallas, Oct. 12, 2014. A hazmat worker moves a barrel while cleaning outside an apartment building of a hospital worker who contracted Ebola in Dallas, Oct. 12, 2014. LM Otero—AP  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Oct 12, 2014 1:23 PM UTC _Updated 7:10 a.m. E.T. on Oct. 13_ A Texas health worker [has tested positive for Ebola](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/texas-health-care-worker-tests-positive-ebola/story?id=26135108) after caring for an Ebola patient who died this week, officials said Sunday, marking the second diagnosis of the deadly disease in the United States. “We don’t know what occurred, but at some point there was a breach in protocol,” Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) director Tom Frieden said at a news conference, noting that “there is a need to enhance the protocol to make sure that they are followed.” Following the announcement of the preliminary diagnosis by theTexas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), the [CDC later confirmed Sunday](http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/cdc-test-confirms-dallas-caregiver-positive-ebola-n224191) that the patient is in fact battling Ebola. The health worker is the first known case of someone contracting the deadly Ebola virus in the U.S. The patient reported a fever on Friday after following the CDC’s self-monitoring procedures, which include twice daily temperature checks. The patient was admitted into isolation within 90 minutes of the temperature check. “We knew a second case could be a reality, and we’ve been preparing for this possibility,” Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the TDSHS, said in a statement. “We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.” The worker, who is in stable condition and whose identity has not been made public, reportedly wore protective gear while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, according to [chief clinical officer](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/us/texas-health-worker-tests-positive-for-ebola.html?%5Fr=1) Dr. Daniel Varga, the Associated Press [reports](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/30e0b18487a5404b9dfd5fd8a6ace1bd/state-health-officials-2nd-ebola-case-texas). Duncan, the first individual in the U.S. to be diagnosed with Ebola, died on Wednesday. Varga said the hospital is [“very concerned”](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/us/texas-health-worker-tests-positive-for-ebola.html?%5Fr=1) about the spread of the virus despite the worker’s safety precautions, which he said included “gown, glove, mask and shield.” Frieden said that treatment of Ebola “can be done safely but it’s hard to do safely. Even a single inadvertent slip can result in contamination.” The White House said in a statement Sunday afternoon that President Obama had been briefed on the new patient’s condition, and had directed that the CDC’s breach investigation move quickly and that “federal authorities take immediate additional steps to ensure hospitals and health care providers nationwide are prepared to follow protocols should they encounter an Ebola patient.” Because of staffing limitations, the emergency department at the hospital is currently on “diversion” and is not allowing ambulances to deliver patients to the emergency room, the hospital said in a statement. Texas Health Resources is also monitoring all staff who cared for Duncan and “triple checking” its safety measures and compliance with CDC guidelines. “Breaking the links in the chains of transmission is the key to preventing further spread,” Frieden said. _— With additional reporting by Zeke Miller_ ### See The Tobacco Leaves That Could Cure Ebola  Tobacco plants are grown for six weeks in the Medicago greenhouse in Quebec City so their leaves are large enough to serve as a factory for making antibodies. The plants are not modified or genetically altered in any way during this time. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  Researchers at Icon Genetics in Germany prepare the DNA coding for antibodies that can neutralize Ebola. These genes are inserted into a soil bacterium that easily infects the tobacco plant cells. Once in the cells, the gene is treated like any other plant gene and the plant starts churning out the antibodies. Sean Gallup—Getty Images  To infect the leaves with the antibody-containing bacteria, the plants are submerged in a water solution of the loaded bacteria. Plant cells have plenty of empty spaces filled with air, so a vacuum removes the air and the water, along with the bacteria and antibody genes, flow in. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  The leaf at the bottom has not been treated. The leaf on top is now an antibody-making factory. The plant's normal machinery starts making the antibody as if it is a plant protein. Mathieu Belanger—Reuters  Researchers at Icon Genetics grind the leaves down to filter out the antibodies. Sean Gallup—Getty Images  Ultraviolet light reveals the clusters of cells that are busy making antibodies. One kg of leaves produces about 5g of antibodies, which is about a third of the dose required to treat an Ebola patient. Sean Gallup—Getty Images ## Transcript A new line of defence in safe guarding the US from the threat of Ebola. Five US Airports beginning today with NEw York's JFK International screening passengers who arrive from affect countries in West Africa. We're stepping up protection. For people coming into this country and for Americans related to travel. The additional protection includes checking passengers for symptoms asking them questions about their travel history and taking their temperatures with non contact infrared thermometers We expect to see some patients with fever. And that will cause some obvious and understandable concern at the airports. That heightened concern already on display this week, when a US Airways passenger apparently joked, I have Ebola. You're all screwed. Unamused, crews in full hazmat gear stepped onboard before granting the all clear. Another incident last week at Newark resulted in CDC teams boarding a United flight after concerns a passenger was showing symptoms. Health officials now say it was not Ebola. Of course I'm concerned. And I don't think there's anybody in the country who's not concerned about the situation with Ebola. We're not ready at the airports yet but we will be. US Customs and Border Protection will take the lead conducting exams in designated areas and an on site CDC public health officer will step in at the first red flag. Officials say that overall impact of the new airport procedures should be minimal. The CDC estimates about 150 people from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea enter the US through these five airports daily. JFK is the pilot for the new process. Newark, Washington Dulles, Atlanta and Chicago- O'Hare will implement measures in the coming week. Until this outbreak is over in West Africa. 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