Editorial Team
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 16, 2014 11:45 AM IST
The second healthcare worker in Texas who tested positive for the Ebola virus on Tuesday, is said to have taken a commercial flight before becoming ill, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The CDC said in a statement that the worker, who reported to a Dallas hospital with a low-grade fever and was isolated on Tuesday morning, 'traveled by air Oct 13, the day before she reported symptoms', Xinhua reported.
'Because of the proximity in time between the evening flight and first report of illness the following morning, CDC is reaching out to passengers who flew on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 (from) Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth Oct 13,' the CDC statement said. The CDC said 132 passengers were on the Frontier Airlines flight that landed at 8.16 p.m.
The agency also quoted the crew as saying that the healthcare worker exhibited no signs or symptoms of illness while on flight 1143, meaning that the worker was not considered contagious at that time. The second healthcare worker provided care for 42-year-old Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed on American soil who had recently arrived from Liberia and died last Wednesday. (Read: What is the Ebola virus disease survival rate?)
The first healthcare worker in Texas is a nurse who also provided care for Duncan. Health officials have been interviewing the affected caregiver in Dalla Presbyterian Hospital to identify all the people who might have been exposed to the virus in order to put them under observation, Efe news agency reported. Nina Pham, the first healthcare worker to contract Ebola in the US, is also in quarantine at the Dallas Presbyterian, where she was reported in good condition Tuesday. (Read: How the Ebola virus spreads in humans)
Here are 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans
It can kill within seven days: Unlike other viruses (like HIV) that can remain dormant in a person for years without causing the disease, Ebola violently multiplies until the viral particles are amplified to about 100 million viral particles in a droplet of blood. Further, without resting in a dormant stage the virus kills the host to find a new one. The fatality rate of the disease is 60 percent.
There is no vaccine or treatment available: What makes this virus deadly is the fact that researchers have not been able to find an effective treatment or preventive technique to combat the virus and the spread of the disease. The experimental drug Zmapp has shown promising results but the safety and efficacy of the drug are to be evaluated. So, as of now, neither do we have an effective form of therapy nor do we have a vaccine to prevent the disease.
Attacks every part of the human body: Ebola only needs a host cell that can help it produce multiple copies of itself. What worsens the condition is the fact that the virus does not need a specific type of cell to multiply (unlike other deadly diseases). According to studies, except for skeletal muscles and bones, the virus is known to infect every part of the human body. Connective tissues, the ones that hold your internal organs in place, are primary targets of the virus. Read more about 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter.
