Family ID's Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola from patient who died
By RYAN GORMAN
The Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola from a patient she was treating has been identified.
Nina Pham, 26, of Fort Worth, caught the deadly virus from Thomas Duncan while caring for him at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
Family members made the identification to local television station WFAA.
The young nurse was reportedly wearing protective gear while caring for Duncan, the first Ebola patient to have been diagnosed in the U.S., but she somehow became the first person to ever contract the disease in America.
Duncan died only days before Pham's diagnosis.
She was diagnosed Sunday after seeing a doctor for a low-grade fever.
Another individual is said by officials to have been in contact with her while she was possibly infectious, a source told the station.
CDC Director Thomas Freiden lamented during a Sunday press conference that the infection came as a result of "breach of protocol" and said it is possible more infections may occur.
"Unfortunately, it is possible in the coming days we will see additional cases of Ebola," said Frieden. "This is because the health care workers who cared for this individual may have had a breach of the same nature."
Pham, a 2010 TCU graduate, was not one of the 48 people under observation by the CDC, a source told the Dallas Morning News.
She was self-monitoring and saw a doctor out of an abundance of caution.
Family and friends described her to the paper as being "big-hearted" and someone who would go "beyond what she was supposed to do to help anyone in need."
News of Pham's identity came one day after images of cleaning crews scouring her apartment were made public. It is not known if the same company used to clean the apartment Thomas Duncan was staying at was also used for Pham's residence.
Workers wore hazmat suits in both instances.
Pham is in stable condition.
Related links:
Everything you need to know about Ebola in 94 seconds
CDC head criticized for blaming 'protocol breach' as nurse gets Ebola
WHO: Ebola death toll above 4,000
