A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for Ebola after a preliminary test which, if confirmed, would mark the first known transmission of Ebola in the United States and the second-ever diagnosis in the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta will test to confirm the preliminary finding of the Texas health agency, which announced its diagnosis on Sunday.
The employee helped care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. Duncan, who flew to the United States from West Africa last month, died in the Texas hospital on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization estimates more than 8,300 people have contracted Ebola during the current outbreak. Of those, more than 4,000 people have died. Three countries -- Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia -- are where the Ebola outbreak is centered.