State health officials: 2nd Ebola case in Texas

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Daniel Varga answers questions about a health care worker who provided hospital care for Thomas Eric Duncan who contracted Ebola, during a press conference at the hospital, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in Dallas. AP

DALLAS – Texas health officials say a health care worker who provided hospital care for an Ebola patient who later died has tested positive for the virus and is in stable condition.

Dr. Daniel Varga, of the Texas Health Resource, says the worker was in full protective gear when they provided care to Thomas Eric Duncan during his second visit to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Varga did not identify the worker and says the family of the worker has “requested total privacy.”

If the preliminary diagnosis is confirmed, it would be the first known case of the disease being contracted or transmitted in the US.

Varga says the health care worker reported a fever Friday night as part of a self-monitoring regimen required by the Atlanta-based Center for Disease Control.

Duncan died Wednesday in Dallas.