Amber Joy Vinson was identified as the second nurse in the Ebola scare, according to reports.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Vinson--which some media outlets identified as “Amber Jay Vinson” tested positive for the virus. Vinson, like nurse Nina Pham, took care of Liberian man Thomas Eric Duncan who was the first person diagnosed with the illness.
Local Cleveland media reports said she was in the city this week to prepare for her wedding. The identity of her boyfriend or fiancee was not disclosed.
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Vinson, 29, is a registered nurse in Texas. She recently traveled from from Cleveland to Dallas on Frontier Flight 1143 on Oct. 13, preliminary reports have said. The CDC is asking 132 passengers on Frontier FL 1143 from Cleveland to DFW to call 1-800-CDC-INFO.
Approximately 130 passengers were on the plane. Officials have stated that their risk being diagnosed with Ebola is slim.
“Like Nina Pham, this is a heroic person – a person who has dedicated her life to helping others,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said during a press conference Wednesday morning.
According to The Associated Press, it isn’t clear how the second hospital worker became infected. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that an “an additional health care worker testing positive for Ebola is a serious concern.”
MORE: Nina Pham Boyfriend Admitted to Hospital with Ebola-like Symptoms?
Health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams elaborated on the case, which has few details. Vinson reported a fever on Tuesday and was immediately isolated at the hospital.
“Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored,” she said. “The type of monitoring depends on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus.”
“What happened there (in Dallas), regardless of the reason, is not acceptable. It shouldn’t have happened,” Anthony Fauci, director of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of NIH, told MSNBC Wednesday.
