The U.S. State Department said Friday that a Texas hospital worker who may have handled Ebola samples has been isolated on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
The unnamed Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital employee set sail on the cruise Sunday from Galveston, Texas, according to a statement from State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Psaki said the employee, who had no direct contact with diseased Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan but may have had contact with fluid samples collected from him, has been self-monitoring since Oct. 6 and has shown no symptoms of the illness.
“The cruise line has actively supported CDC’s efforts to speak with the individual, whom the cruise ship’s medical doctor has monitored and confirmed was in good health,” Psaki said in the statement. “Following this examination, the hospital employee and traveling partner have voluntarily remained isolated in a cabin. We are working with the cruise line to safely bring them back to the United States out of an abundance of caution.”
Carnival said in a statement to NBC News that its Carnival Magic ship was being held off the coast of Belize until the hospital worker could be removed and taken back to the U.S.
