ATLANTA — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would not be surprised if more American health care workers contract Ebola virus.
Dr. Tom Frieden made the alarming statement in a Monday afternoon briefing.
Frieden also said after the news of a second patient, the CDC sent a wave of workers to Dallas as soon as they confirmed a nurse tested positive for the virus.
"The enemy here is a virus, Ebola. It's not a person, not a country, it's not a place, it's not a hospital. It's a virus," he said.
Frieden also called on health care workers across the country to "think Ebola."
He suggested if health care workers come across someone with a fever, they should ask if that person traveled to West Africa within the last 21 days or has been in contact with anyone who has.
On Monday, officials identified the ill nurse in Dallas as Nina Pham. Doctors say the 26-year-old is in stable condition and is talking.
Channel 2's Erica Byfield was at Monday's briefing, where she learned that CDC leaders are rethinking infection control given what happened to Pham. Pham somehow contracted the virus while treating an Ebola patient who died.
Frieden told reporters there is an investigation underway to determine exactly what happened. He added CDC workers in Dallas are monitoring the nurse's treatment and making equipment adjustments where necessary.
Frieden then said Pham's illness reaffirmed most of what we know about Ebola; for example, how it spreads.
Byfield also learned there is an effort underway to provide more Ebola training and education for health care workers across the country.
"All of us have to work together and do whatever is possible to reduce the risk that any other health care worker becomes infected," said Frieden. "We are doing everything we can to protect Americans, and we protect Americans effectively by stopping it at the source."
The CDC now has 150 staffers in West Africa.
WSBTV
