Second Ebola case in Texas caused by “health safety breach”

A second person has contracted the deadly Ebola virus in the United States, also in the state of Texas.

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says while it is not known exactly how the nurse contracted the virus, its believed the spread is the result of a breach in health protocol.

Director of the Centre Tom Frieden says 48 people are being tested daily for any signs of the disease, and has admitted it is possible other people have contracted the virus.

“We don’t know what occurred in the care of the original patient, in Dallas, but at some point there was a breach in protocol, and that breach in protocol resulted in this infection,” he said.

The woman has been treating Liberian man Thomas Eric Duncan at a hospital in Dallas, prior to his death four days ago.

The worker from the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas reported a low grade fever on Friday, and is now in isolation.

But Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins is urging Americans to remain calm, reminding them that Ebola is not an airborne disease, and cannot be spread by walking past someone in the street.

It comes as the US has confirmed JFK airport in New York has now begun health screenings for people returning from West Africa.