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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 16, 2014 4:39 PM IST
The second healthcare worker who was infected by the Ebola virus has been moved from Texas to the Emory University Hospital. Incidentally, this was the hospital where two Americans overcame the disease last August. In a statement the Texan hospital spokesperson said, 'After consultation with the health authorities and the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, the Dallas Presbyterian Hospital (in Texas) has transferred the second worker infected with Ebola so that she receives treatment.'
Nurse Amber Joy Vinson, 29, had been admitted Tuesday night at the Dallas Presbyterian Hospital, where she contracted the disease while taking care of Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan, who died last week. Another nurse, Nina Pham, the first person infected in the US with the Ebola virus, is being treated at the same Dallas clinic. Emory is one of the four US hospitals that have a special isolation room for highly contagious diseases. (Read: What is the Ebola virus disease survival rate?)
The epidemic, which has plagued West Africa since last March, especially Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, has already caused 4,447 deaths and infected 8,914 people, according to latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO). (Read: 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans)
How the Ebola virus spreads in humans?
It can spread through direct skin to skin contact: One major reason why healthcare workers and immediate family members of infected Ebola victims were falling prey to the same in the infected areas is due to direct skin to skin contact with the patients. This is because the virus can be easily transmitted through an exchange of bodily fluids like sweat, saliva, etc. However, remember the virus would not spread only through casual contact. There has to be a medium for the transmission to take place and in case of a skin-to-skin contact it is either sweat, saliva, blood or other body fluids. It is advisable to take proper precautions if you need to be around a victim at any given point of time. Using protective equipment like gloves, masks and protective units is recommended to prevent the virus from spreading to a healthy individual.
It can spread by using infected needles and other contaminated objects: This is obvious as infected needles and other contaminated objects might have remnants of infected body fluids. If this gets into the system of a healthy individual, it can spread the deadly disease rapidly. Read more about How the Ebola virus spreads in humans
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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