Deepening fears of Ebola spreading further and further are likely to arise tonight after it emerged that the second nurse diagnosed with the disease boarded a domestic Frontier Airlines flight and flew across the Midwest the day before developing a fever.
The flight carried 132 other passengers.
Medical authorities have said that because the nurse did not have any symptoms at the time, there should not be any concerns. Nevertheless, the CDC have contacted all the passengers on board that flight to advise them to contact medical personnel immediately if they develop a fever or feel unwell.
The nurse was also part of the team who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who brought the Ebola virus to the United States. Duncan died from the infection on October 8. Since, two nurses who tended to him have become infected. It remains unclear at this point how the contagion occurred, as it is understood that both nurses were indeed wearing full protective gear whenever they were in Duncan’s vicinity, and during his treatment.
Every member of the medical team that looked after Duncan will now be forbidden from traveling outside ‘controlled conditions.’
Globally, Ebola has officially killed more than 4,000 people, though experts believe the true figure is many multiples of that, since many people die alone, away from medical facilities, and are buried in secret to avoid the stigma attached to the disease.