More Americans could now be at risk of catching Ebola as it has been revealed that the second health worker to test positive for the disease took a flight from Dallas, Texas to Cleveland, Ohio after coming in contact with index patient, Thomas Duncan.
This was revealed by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Frontier Airlines who said that the newly diagnosed health worker had reported symptoms of Ebola a day after making the trip.
The health worker hasn’t been officially identified but ABC affiliate, WFAA reports that she’s a 26-year-old nurse named Amber Joy Vinson.
Frontier Airlines in a statement said:
"Customer exhibited no symptoms or sign of illness while on flight 1143, according to the crew. Frontier responded immediately upon notification from the CDC by removing the aircraft from service and is working closely with CDC to identify and contact customers who may travelled on flight 1143,"
"The safety and security of our customers and employees is our primary concern. Frontier will continue to work closely with CDC and other governmental agencies to ensure proper protocols and procedures are being followed,"
The airline also added that the plane had been thoroughly cleaned while the CDC urged all passengers who were on the flight to make contact to determine if they are at risk of contracting Ebola.
The health worker in question is the third person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the US and along with the second patient, Nina Pham, was part of the team that treated Liberian index case, Thomas Duncan.