On Monday night, the second health worker infected with Ebola in Texas flew on a commercial flight from Cleveland, Ohio to Dallas, Texas. The nurse had a fever of 99.5 before boarding.
Amber Joy Vinson, 29-years-old, did not report symptoms of the virus until Tuesday morning. Health experts state that Ebola is not contagious until the carrier shows symptoms of the disease such as vomiting. The crew of Frontier Flight 1143, the flight that Vinson was on, claims that she did not exhibit any symptoms during the trip from Ohio to Texas. As a precaution, the Center for Disease Control asked all 132 passengers of the flight to call a C.D.C hotline.
Vinson was one of 60 healthcare workers at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital that oversaw the treatment of Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan. Similar to Nina Pham, another nurse who contracted Ebola from Duncan, Vinson was in close proximity with the patient for extended periods of time, especially toward the end of his life. During their service, the nurses dealt with bodily fluids that carry the disease, particularly vomit and diarrhea.
Given the exposure to the disease, Vinson should have not been allowed to travel and was part of a monitored group. On Wednesday the C.D.C criticized the lack of monitoring the workers that were exposed to the virus.
“Because at that point she was in a group of individuals known to have exposure to Ebola, she should not have traveled on a commercial airline,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “The C.D.C. guidance in this setting outlines the need for what is called ‘controlled movement.’ That can include a charter plane, that can include a car, but it does not include public transport.”
Dr. Frieden assured that the chances of Vinson having transmitted the disease to anyone on the flight is “extremely low,”
Vinson was transported from the Texas hospital to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday. 75 health workers at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and 48 individuals who had contact with Duncan are being monitored for symptoms of Ebola.
