Nurse in Second Dallas Ebola Case Identified as Nina Pham
Dallas nurse is in isolation and in stable condition
By NBC 5 Staff ••
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital officials say they’re treating a Dallas nurse who recently tested positive for Ebola and monitoring the 70 healthcare workers who treated Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan.
The nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas who tested positive for Ebola has received a blood donation from a North Texas doctor who survived his bout with the potentially deadly disease.
Nina Pham, 26, is believed to be the first person to contract Ebola within the United States.
A spokesperson for Samaritan's Purse said Dr. Kent Brantly, the Fort Worth physician who survived Ebola after he was treated at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta earlier this summer, donated blood to Pham on Sunday.
Brantly, who previously said he offered to donate blood to first Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan but was not a compatible blood type, went to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital to make a plasma donation.
Brantly didn't have to go far to make the blood donation for Pham. He recently moved back to North Texas after recovering from Ebola in Atlanta.
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Nina Pham's Facebook page, which has been taken down, included a photo with her dog. Dallas public information officer Sana Syed identified the dog as Bentley, a spaniel. Bentley appears to be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
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Nina Pham graduated from Texas Christian University in 2010 from the university's BSN Nursing program.
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In a screen grab from a video by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, Ebola patient Nina Pham speaks with a physician before she is transported from North Texas to a hospital in Maryland.
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Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas staff line the drive that exits the emergency room as they wait for an ambulance carrying Nina Pham to depart, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, in Dallas. Pham, a nurse at the hospital was diagnosed with the Ebola virus after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan who died of the same virus.
Dallas nurse Nina Pham, the first person to contract the potentially deadly Ebola virus in the United States, was flown from Dallas Love Field to Maryland for treatment at the National Institutes of Health.
Texas Health Presybterian Hospital nurse Nina Pham is helped out of the back of an ambulance on the runway at Love Field airport October 16, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. Pham contracted Ebola when she was part of a team of healthcare workers who had treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian who was the first patient diagnosed with the virus in the United States and who died October 8. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci told members of Congress that Pham, 26, is being transferred from Dallas to an isolation unit at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Texas Health Presybterian Hospital nurse Nina Pham is helped out of the back of an ambulance on the runway at Love Field airport October 16, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. Pham contracted Ebola when she was part of a team of healthcare workers who had treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian who was the first patient diagnosed with the virus in the United States and who died October 8. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci told members of Congress that Pham, 26, is being transferred from Dallas to an isolation unit at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Dallas nurse Nina Pham, the first person to contract the potentially deadly Ebola virus in the United States, was flown from Dallas Love Field to Maryland for treatment at the National Institutes of Health.
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The airplane carrying Texas Health Presybterian Hospital nurse and Ebola patient Nina Pham takes off from Love Field airport October 16, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. Pham contracted Ebola when she was part of a team of healthcare workers who had treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian who was the first patient diagnosed with the virus in the United States and who died October 8. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci told members of Congress that Pham, 26, is being transferred from Dallas to an isolation unit at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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The airplane carrying Texas Health Presybterian Hospital nurse and Ebola patient Nina Pham takes off from Love Field airport October 16, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. Pham contracted Ebola when she was part of a team of healthcare workers who had treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian who was the first patient diagnosed with the virus in the United States and who died October 8. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci told members of Congress that Pham, 26, is being transferred from Dallas to an isolation unit at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci comes out of the building with his arm around Nina Pham, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, for a news briefing at National Institutes of Health October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham, who first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Nina Pham, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, speaks as Director of the National Institutes of Health on October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham, who was first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Nina Pham, free of Ebola, speaks outside of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, Oct. 24, 2014.
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Nina Pham, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, speaks during a news briefing as Director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci and Director of NIH Clinical Center John Gallin look on during a news briefing at the National Institutes of Health October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham, who was first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci hugs Nina Pham, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as Pham's mother Diana and sister Cathy, and Director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins look on at the end of a news briefing at National Institutes of Health October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham, who first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci (L) hugs Nina Pham (2nd L), the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as Director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins (R) looks on at the end of a news briefing at National Institutes of Health October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham, who first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci hugs Nina Pham, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as Pham's mother Diana and sister Cathy, and Director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins look on at the end of a news briefing at National Institutes of Health October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham, who first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Faucileaves with Nina Pham, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as Director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins looks on after a news briefing at National Institutes of Health October 24, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham, who first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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U.S. President Barack Obama gives a hug to Dallas nurse Nina Pham in the Oval Office of the White House October 24, 2014 in Washington, DC. Pham, a nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and was first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Dallas nurse Nina Pham in the Oval Office of the White House October 24, 2014 in Washington, DC. Pham, a nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and was first diagnosed on October 12, was declared free of the virus on Friday. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama meets with Ebola survivor Nina Pham in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Pham, the first nurse diagnosed with Ebola after treating an infected man at a Dallas hospital is free of the virus. The 26-year-old Pham arrived last week at the NIH Clinical Center. She had been flown there from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Pham tested positive for Ebola in tests from the Texas Department of State Health Services, and the diagnosis was confirmed in a test conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Pham is a 2010 graduate of Texas Christian University's nursing program and, according to NBC News, passed her Texas Board of Nursing registration exam the same year. On Aug. 1 of this year, Pham received her certificate in critical care nursing — less that two months before she would be part of the team treating Duncan.
A critical care nurse deals specifically with "life-threatening problems," and patients who are "vulnerable, unstable and complex, thereby requiring intense and vigilant nursing care," according to the website of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the body that certified Pham, NBC News reported.
Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Service, held a briefing Sunday morning on the second Ebola patient diagnosed in Dallas.
Before college, Pham went to Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth and graduated in 2006.
"She was such a good science student," said Gaye Houk, one of Pham's high school teachers. "She was kind of one of our leaders in the science department. We had a lot from that group that went on to be nurses."
A family friend said Pham's family is very involved in the Catholic Church.
"Like her family, she is a very devoted individual," said Thomas Ha. "She will serve you first, before she takes care of herself."
Ha said Pham is dedicated to her profession.
"Instead of taking care of that patient as much as the medical ethics requires, she goes beyond that," said Ha. "She wants to save people."
Pham lives in Dallas, and her apartment on the 3700 block of Marquita Avenue was thoroughly cleaned and desanitized by a hazmat crew. Phase two of that cleaning began Monday afternoon, according to the City of Dallas. In the meantime, officials moved Pham's dog, Bentley, a spaniel breed, to a temporary location where it can be cared for and monitored for Ebola.
TCU Communications Director Lisa Albert said in a statement that they have no reason to suspect Pham had visited the Fort Worth campus while infected, while asking that they keep the alum in their thoughts and prayers.
Federal and local health officials are trying to identify how Pham became infected with Ebola while following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety protocols, which include wearing a gloves, a mask, a gown and a shield.
While it's still not clear how she became exposed, she has been working with CDC investigators to make sure no one else ends up in isolation.
CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said Sunday that a "breach in protocol" led to the infection, though officials have not yet identified the source of the lapse. After some interpreted his statement as finding fault with either the nurse or hospital, Frieden clarified his statement on Monday.
"I spoke about a 'breach in protocol' and that's what we speak about in public health when we're talking about what needs to happen and our focus is to say, would this protocol have prevented the infection? And we believe it would have," Frieden said. "But, some interpreted that as finding fault with the hospital or the health care worker. And, I'm sorry if that was the impression given. That was certainly not my intention. People on the front lines are really protecting all of us. People on the front lines are fighting Ebola."
The state health department said Pham reported a low-grade fever Friday night and was moved to a 24-bed Intensive Care Unit at the hospital being used as an isolation unit. The preliminary test result confirming Ebola was received late Saturday in a process that took less than 90 minutes.
Texas Health Presbyterian in Dallas said a close contact of Pham's has already proactively been put into isolation at the hospital. The car Pham drove to the hospital has been decontaminated and secured. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said everything the patient touched has been decontaminated to ensure everyone's safety.
People who live in the neighborhood where second Dallas Ebola patient Nina Pham lives, known as the M Streets, are reacting to news of her diagnosis.
"The enemy here is a virus. Ebola. It's not a person. It's not a country. It's not a place. It's not a hospital. It's a virus. It's a virus that's tough to fight. But together, I'm confident that we will stop it. What we need to do is all take responsibility for improving the safety of those on the front lines," Frieden said in a statement Monday. "I feel awful that a health care worker became infected in the care of an Ebola patient. She was there trying to help the first patient survive and now she has become infected. All of us have to work together to do whatever is possible to reduce the risk that any other health care worker becomes infected."
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dr. Daniel Varga held a news conference Sunday morning to inform the public that a health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas test positive for the Ebola virus after coming in close contact with Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of a sick person or exposure to contaminated objects such as needles. People are not contagious before symptoms, such as fever, develop.
