US Ebola case deals blow to global battle

A Texas health care worker who treated an Ebola victim has tested positive for the deadly virus, dealing a blow to the worldwide battle to stem the outbreak.

Top US health officials have said the case - which if confirmed would be the second diagnosed outside Africa and the first contracted on US soil - indicated a breach in safety protocol.

That suggestion - along with statements from an infected Spanish nurse who said she thought she might have developed Ebola after brushing her face with a glove - raised questions about the effectiveness of the measures in place to halt the disease's spread.

New York's JFK airport on Saturday became the first in the United States to launch health screenings for travellers from epidemic-hit west Africa and other nations have instituted similar checks.

The World Health Organisation says more than four thousand people have died of Ebola in seven countries since the start of the year and the epidemic appears to be outpacing efforts to fight it.


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Source: AAP


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