A nurse in Dallas had contracted the Ebola virus from the Liberian man who had the disease and passed away last week.
Last Monday, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said that the nurse, Nina Pham has tested positive test for Ebola. This prompted the CDC to be more cautious on its approach to control the disease from spreading to health workers.
At the moment, Pham is in isolation and is in a stable condition. Last Friday, Pham had a low-grade fever and she drove herself to the emergency room at Presbyterian hospital. 90 minutes later, she was put into isolation.
Nina Pham is the daughter of political refugees from Vietnam and grew up in the Bentley Village subdivision in Fort Worth.
On Monday, Pham received a transfusion of plasma from the blood of Dr. Kent Brantly of Fort Worth. Brantly had contracted Ebola in Liberia and recovered from the disease. The medical team hopes that the antibodies of an Ebola victim's blood may help fight the disease.
Dr. Kent Brantly also donated his plasma to Ashoka Mukpo who is a freelance cameraman being treated at Nebraska Medical Center as well as to Dr. Rick Sacra who was treated last September. There is still no conclusion on the efficacy of the plasma transfusion. At that time, Brantly could not donate his blood to the late Duncan, the first Ebola patient who died in the United States, since their blood types were not a match.
Dr Kent Brantly went back to the United States from Liberia after having contracted the Ebola virus during his missionary work for Samaritan's Purse. He survived after being given a dose of the experimental serum Z-Mapp and monitored at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 26-year-old nurse, along with 70 other staff members were involved in the care of Thomas Eric Duncan at the Texas Presbyterian Hospital.
At the moment, Pham's boyfriend is also being monitored for Ebola symptoms and isolated in the same hospital.
