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Nurse in Spain infected after caring for Ebola patient
The nurse contracted the illness while treating a Spanish missionary who was infected in Sierra Leone and flown to Madrid’s Carlos III hospital
The health worker was was transferred on Monday from a hospital in Alcorcón to Madrid’s Carlos III Hospital
A nurse in Spain has become the first health worker to be infected with the Ebola virus outside of West Africa, raising serious concerns about how prepared Western nations are to safely treat people with the deadly illness.
The nurse contracted the illness while treating a Spanish missionary who was infected in Sierra Leone and flown to Madrid’s Carlos III hospital, where he died on 25 September, Spain’s Health Ministry said.
The priest, Manuel García Viejo, died three days after being flown back to Spain, and the nurse entered his room only twice, including once after his death, according to health officials.
Ana Mato, Spain’s health minister, said in a televised news conference that the nurse, who has not been identified publicly, tested positive for Ebola twice, and that the rest of the 30-person team that looked after the missionary would be monitored to see if any of its members develop symptoms of Ebola. She said it was not clear how the nurse became infected.
