Nurse who caught Ebola: More training is needed

Associated Press

ATLANTA

A nurse who was infected with Ebola after treating a sick patient said she didn’t have enough training beforehand on how to protect herself.

“The first time that I put on the protective equipment, I was heading in to take care of the patient,” Amber Vinson told NBC’s “Today” show in an interview broadcast Thursday.

Vinson was one of the more than 70 medical personnel who were involved in the care of Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. After being sent home from the emergency room Sept. 26, Duncan returned two days later and was quickly diagnosed with the virus. He died Oct. 8.

“We didn’t have excessive training where we could don and doff, put on and take off the protective equipment, till we got a level of being comfortable with it,” Vinson said. “I didn’t have that, and I think that’s very important for hospitals across the nation, big and small.”

Vinson flew Oct. 13 on a commercial jet from Cleveland to Dallas, one day before feeling the first symptoms of her virus. She said in the interview Thursday that she monitored her temperature and checked in with health officials before flying.