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76 US medics exposed to Ebola: CDC
[Iran Press TV] Contact with an Ebola patient in the United States has put the lives of 76 health care workers in danger, health authorities say.
"I wish we had put a team on the ground the day the first patient was diagnosed," Frieden said, referring to the 42-year-old Liberian patient, who died at the hospital on Wednesday. "There were 76 people who had some level of contact and therefore are being actively monitored," said the CDC director, adding they will be checked for fever on a daily basis. Nina Pham, a nurse infected with the virus, has had contact with another person who is also being monitored. Frieden said the 48 people, initially announced to be at risk due to contact with Duncan before he was hospitalized, have "now passed through the highest risk period." A two-week mark signifies a decrease in the risk of Ebola development yet the virus has a 21-day incubation period, meaning the person should still be monitored. Duncan, who is the first patient diagnosed with Ebola inside the US, died after a 10-day stay at hospital. In the US, concern is rising about the disease, which has already killed 4,447 people, with the large majority of victims in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There is currently no known cure for Ebola, which is a form of hemorrhagic fever with diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding as its symptoms. The Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. Posted by: Fred 2014-10-15 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=402035 |