Breaking : Second U.S. health worker infected with Ebola flew the day before symptoms

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(CNN) -- The second Dallas health care worker who contracted the Ebola virus was on a flight the day before her symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Now, the CDC wants to interview all 132 passengers who were on the plane with her.

The woman's name is Amber Vinson, the Reuters news agency 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 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth Oct. 13," the CDC said in a statement. The flight landed Monday at 8:16 p.m. CT.

 The Ebola virus is not contagious before symptoms set in.

The woman "exhibited no symptoms or sign of illness while on flight 1143, according to the crew," Frontier Airlines said in a statement.

Earlier, she flew from Dallas-Fort Worth to Cleveland on Frontier Flight 1142 on October 10.

The airline said customers who may have traveled on either flight should contact the CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636 ). But the CDC statement referred only to passengers on the October 13 flight.

The October 13 flight was cleaned thoroughly after it landed, "per our normal procedures which is consistent with CDC guidelines," the airline said. After the airline was informed of the Ebola patient, the plane was removed from service.

Health workers who had any interaction with Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as Vinson did, are supposed to receive daily checkups for Ebola symptoms, CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reported. It remained unclear how and why this worker traveled out of state.

In a sign of growing concerns about Ebola, President Obama canceled trips to New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday to convene a meeting at the White House of Cabinet agencies coordinating the government's response to the outbreak.

Hospital denies 'institutional problem'

Vinson, who lives alone, is in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

The news that she contracted Ebola cast further doubt on the hospital's ability to handle the virus and protect employees.

It's the same hospital that initially sent Duncan home, even though he had a fever and had traveled from West Africa. By the time he returned to the hospital, his symptoms had worsened. He died while being treated by medical staff, including the two women who have now contracted the disease.

"I don't think we have a systematic institutional problem," Dr. Daniel Varga, chief clinical officer of Texas Health Resources, told reporters Wednesday, facing questions about the hospital's actions.

Medical staff "may have done some things differently with the benefit of what we know today," he said, adding, "no one wants to get this right more than our hospital."

 People in the health care worker's office building were informed when officials went door to door, and also through early morning reverse 911 calls, officials said.

The health care worker had no pets, authorities said.

More than 120 being monitored

Seventy-five health care workers in Dallas are being monitored for any Ebola symptoms, Varga said.

Separately, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who is overseeing the response efforts, said 48 other people in the community still are being monitored after having contact with Duncan, who was Dallas' first Ebola patient. Those 48 are asymptomatic, and Sunday will mark the end of the window in which they could get sick.

The second worker reported a fever Tuesday and was immediately isolated, health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said. The virus is not contagious before there are symptoms.

A preliminary Ebola test was done late Tuesday at the state public health laboratory in Austin, and the results came back around midnight. A second test will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

"Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored," the health department said.

The worker's apartment and car will be cleaned Wednesday, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said.


Source: cnn

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