This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/08/world/europe/after-its-first-ebola-case-spain-seeks-to-prevent-spread-of-virus.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
After Its First Ebola Case, Spain Seeks to Prevent Spread of Virus After Its First Ebola Case, Spain Seeks to Prevent Spread of Virus
(about 1 hour later)
BARCELONA, Spain — Spain intensified efforts on Tuesday to contain any spread of Ebola from an infected health worker as the government came under increased pressure from the political opposition and the European Union.BARCELONA, Spain — Spain intensified efforts on Tuesday to contain any spread of Ebola from an infected health worker as the government came under increased pressure from the political opposition and the European Union.
The health worker, a nurse who has not been identified, was described as being in a stable condition. Her husband was quarantined, and monitoring was extended to medical staff who came into in contact with her. The nurse contracted the illness while treating a Spanish missionary who was infected in Sierra Leone and flown to Carlos III Hospital in Madrid. The health worker, a nurse who has not been identified, was described as being in a stable condition. Her husband and two other people were quarantined, and monitoring was extended to another 50 people who might have come into contact with her. The nurse contracted the illness while treating a Spanish missionary who was infected in Sierra Leone and flown to Carlos III Hospital in Madrid.
The nurse’s husband has shown no signs of having the disease but was isolated as a precaution, said Dr. Francisco Arnalich, head of internal medicine at Carlos III Hospital.
A second nurse who also treated the missionary was put into quarantine after experiencing diarrhea, but she did not have a fever, the most common earlyl symptom of Ebola. The infected nurse is being treated using serum from a nun who survived Ebola after being infected in Liberia, the newspaper El Mundo reported.
And a Nigerian man who recently arrived in Spain was also under quarantine but tested negative for Ebola, The Associated Press reported.
Opposition politicians said Tuesday that Ana Mato, the health minister, needed to explain any safety lapse, while some called for her immediate removal. Caridad García Álvarez, a lawmaker from the United Left party, wrote on Twitter that Ms. Mato needed to resign after ignoring warnings from health workers about inadequate safety measures.Opposition politicians said Tuesday that Ana Mato, the health minister, needed to explain any safety lapse, while some called for her immediate removal. Caridad García Álvarez, a lawmaker from the United Left party, wrote on Twitter that Ms. Mato needed to resign after ignoring warnings from health workers about inadequate safety measures.
Instead of Ms. Mato, another official from the Health Ministry, María Mercedes Vinuesa, appeared before Parliament on Tuesday, saying that a list was being drawn up of all the people who may have come into contact with the nurse. She said Spain had different treatments to deal with Ebola, but offered no further details. Instead of Ms. Mato, another official from the Health Ministry, María Mercedes Vinuesa, appeared before Parliament on Tuesday, saying that a list was being drawn up of all the people who might have come into contact with the nurse. She said Spain had different treatments to deal with Ebola, bute offered no further details.
Amid recent tensions between Spanish medical staff and the government over spending cuts in the health sector, representatives of medical unions were quoted on Spanish news media websites as saying that austerity measures had left health workers poorly trained and ill-equipped to handle an Ebola case. Amid recent tensions between Spanish medical staff members and the government over spending cuts in the health sector, representatives of medical unions were quoted on Spanish news media websites as saying that austerity measures had left health workers poorly trained and ill-equipped to handle an Ebola case.
Carlos III Hospital had been specifically selected by Spain to welcome repatriated Ebola patients, and Yolanda Fuentes, a deputy director of the hospital, said Monday that the protective suits worn by health workers “comply perfectly with the protocol and the required protective measures for this disease.”Carlos III Hospital had been specifically selected by Spain to welcome repatriated Ebola patients, and Yolanda Fuentes, a deputy director of the hospital, said Monday that the protective suits worn by health workers “comply perfectly with the protocol and the required protective measures for this disease.”
The European Commission wrote to the Madrid government requesting an explanation of how the nurse was infected, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Frédéric Vincent, a spokesman for the commission. A European health safety committee is set to meet on Wednesday to review the situation. Still, Mr. Vincent said it was “highly improbable” that the virus would spread further across Europe. The European Commission wrote to the government in Madrid requesting an explanation of how the nurse was infected, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Frédéric Vincent, a spokesman for the commission. A European health safety committee is set to meet on Wednesday to review the situation. Still, Mr. Vincent said it was “highly improbable” that the virus would spread further across Europe.
As an assistant nurse, the woman who became infected had only twice entered the room of Manuel García Viejo, a priest who died of Ebola, including once after his death, according to Antonio Alemany, a health official from the regional government of Madrid.As an assistant nurse, the woman who became infected had only twice entered the room of Manuel García Viejo, a priest who died of Ebola, including once after his death, according to Antonio Alemany, a health official from the regional government of Madrid.
On Tuesday, doctors at Carlos III Hospital were testing another nurse who was part of the team that treated the missionary for Ebola, after she showed possible symptoms, the newspaper El Mundo reported, citing unnamed hospital sources. The infected nurse is being treated using serum from a nun who survived Ebola after being infected in Liberia, the newspaper said. Some staff members are being monitored for symptoms of Ebola at a hospital in Alcorcón, on the outskirts of Madrid, where the nurse spent most of Monday before being transferred to Carlos III Hospital shortly after midnight. The nurse came into contact with 21 medical staff members in Alcorcón, the newspaper El País reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed hospital sources. The nurse was kept in isolation at Alcorcón, but the authorities could not rule out that she had come into contact with others before her tests came back positive, in a hospital that has no unit specialized to treat infections like Ebola.
Some staff members are also being monitored for symptoms of Ebola at a hospital in Alcorcón, on the outskirts of Madrid, where the nurse spent most of Monday before being transferred to Carlos III Hospital shortly after midnight. The nurse came into contact with 21 medical staff members in Alcorcón, the newspaper El País reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed hospital sources. The nurse was kept in isolation at Alcorcón, but the authorities could not rule out that she had come into contact with others before her tests came back positive, in a hospital that has no unit specialized to treat infections like Ebola.