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Spanish Nurse With Ebola Says She Followed Safety Rules Spanish Nurse With Ebola Says She Followed Safety Rules
(35 minutes later)
MADRID — An auxiliary nurse who is Western Europe’s first Ebola case said she had followed the full safety protocol while treating an infected patient and did not have “the slightest idea” how she could have gotten the virus, a Spanish newspaper reported Wednesday.MADRID — An auxiliary nurse who is Western Europe’s first Ebola case said she had followed the full safety protocol while treating an infected patient and did not have “the slightest idea” how she could have gotten the virus, a Spanish newspaper reported Wednesday.
The nurse was reached by telephone by the newspaper, El Mundo, late Tuesday in an isolated unit of Carlos III Hospital in Madrid, where she is being treated and where she previously helped look after a missionary who died of Ebola on Sept. 25 after being sent back from Sierra Leone.The nurse was reached by telephone by the newspaper, El Mundo, late Tuesday in an isolated unit of Carlos III Hospital in Madrid, where she is being treated and where she previously helped look after a missionary who died of Ebola on Sept. 25 after being sent back from Sierra Leone.
In the brief conversation, the nurse said she felt “a little better” since being hospitalized on Monday. She offered no clue as to what could have led to her infection, saying that she stuck to the protocol. In the brief conversation, the nurse, identified by El Mundo as María Teresa Romero Ramos, said she felt “a little better” since being hospitalized on Monday. She offered no clue as to what could have led to her infection, saying that she stuck to the protocol.
Her husband separately told El Mundo that his wife had mostly stayed at home after going on vacation the day after the missionary, Manuel García Viejo, died. During that vacation period, however, the nurse also attended a public exam, alongside many other candidates, in an effort to further her career. Her husband has shown no signs of having the disease but has also been kept in quarantine as a precaution.Her husband separately told El Mundo that his wife had mostly stayed at home after going on vacation the day after the missionary, Manuel García Viejo, died. During that vacation period, however, the nurse also attended a public exam, alongside many other candidates, in an effort to further her career. Her husband has shown no signs of having the disease but has also been kept in quarantine as a precaution.
The husband has also led calls for the Madrid health authorities not to euthanize the couple’s dog, Excalibur, who was left at their home. The authorities said in a statement on Tuesday that they had ordered that the dog to be put down as a precautionary measure, but there has been no confirmation that the order was carried out. A social media campaign has sprung up to spare Excalibur until it can be proven he has Ebola. One of the top hashtags on Twitter worldwide on Wednesday morning was #SalvemosaExcalibur. The husband has also led calls for the Madrid health authorities not to euthanize the couple’s dog, Excalibur, who was left at their home. The authorities said in a statement on Tuesday that they had ordered that the dog be put down as a precautionary measure, but there has been no confirmation that the order was carried out. A social media campaign has sprung up to spare Excalibur until it can be proven he has Ebola. One of the top hashtags on Twitter worldwide on Wednesday morning was #SalvemosaExcalibur.
On Wednesday, Spanish authorities continued their efforts to draw up a full list of people who might have had contact with the nurse. So far, about 50 people are being monitored for possible symptoms of Ebola. They include several staff members at a hospital in Alcorcón, on the outskirts of Madrid, where the nurse lives and where she was initially treated on Monday before testing positive for Ebola and being transferred to Carlos III Hospital. Spain’s government chose Carlos III Hospital to handle Ebola patients.On Wednesday, Spanish authorities continued their efforts to draw up a full list of people who might have had contact with the nurse. So far, about 50 people are being monitored for possible symptoms of Ebola. They include several staff members at a hospital in Alcorcón, on the outskirts of Madrid, where the nurse lives and where she was initially treated on Monday before testing positive for Ebola and being transferred to Carlos III Hospital. Spain’s government chose Carlos III Hospital to handle Ebola patients.
The government is facing criticism not only over the events that led to the nurse's infection but also over why it then took nearly a week for the nurse to be tested for Ebola, after she informed a medical center on Sept. 30 that she felt feverish.The government is facing criticism not only over the events that led to the nurse's infection but also over why it then took nearly a week for the nurse to be tested for Ebola, after she informed a medical center on Sept. 30 that she felt feverish.
The case is worrisome because Spain is a developed country that is expected to have the rigorous infection controls needed to fight the spread of Ebola.The case is worrisome because Spain is a developed country that is expected to have the rigorous infection controls needed to fight the spread of Ebola.
The nurse has been a health care worker for 15 years, according to Spanish newspapers, which variously give her age as 40 or 44. Ms. Romero has been a health care worker for 15 years, according to Spanish newspapers, which variously give her age as 40 or 44.