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Nurse who treated Ebola patient in Texas says hospital has no idea what it’s doing

by German Lopez
Well wishers gather at the Texas hospital of a nurse who contracted Ebola from a patient.
Well wishers gather at the Texas hospital of a nurse who contracted Ebola from a patient.
Well wishers gather at the Texas hospital of a nurse who contracted Ebola from a patient.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images News

A Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse on Thursday criticized her hospital’s handling of Ebola patients.

In an interview with the Today Show, nurse Briana Aguirre claimed administrators never discussed how to handle Ebola cases prior to the arrival of Thomas Duncan, the first US patient to die of Ebola. The hospital offered only one optional seminar, Aguirre alleged.

Aguirre didn’t treat Duncan, but she cared for her friend and coworker Nina Pham, who tested positive for Ebola after caring for him.

“I watched them violate basic principles of nursing,” Aguirre said. “Knowing what I know, I would try anything and everything to refuse to go there to be treated. I would feel at risk by going there. If I don’t actually have Ebola, I may contract it there.”

Aguirre said she doesn’t believe any hospital in the country is equipped or trained to properly handle an Ebola patient.

Aguirre is only one of many nurses to complain about improper training for Ebola cases. On October 15, the largest nursing union in the country, of which Aguirre is not a member, threatened to picket over inadequate training for Ebola.

Despite the concerns, health officials widely believe they will contain Ebola to just a few cases in the US.

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