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CDC looks to redefine protocol for Ebola
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DALLAS (AP) — As Thomas Eric Duncan’s health deteriorated, nurses Amber Joy Vinson and Nina Pham were at the Ebola patient’s side.They wore protective gear including face shields, hazardous materials suits and protective footwear as they inserted catheters, drew blood and dealt with his body fluids. Still, the two somehow contracted Ebola from the dying man.As health officials try to figure out how that happened, the nurses’ cases have brought new scrutiny to national Ebola protocols that had never before been put to the test at a general hospital. Authorities are examining whether those guidelines need to be rewritten.A nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Briana Aguirre, said on NBC’s “Today” show that nurses and other employees were asking their supervisors what they should be doing.“Our infectious disease department was contacted to ask, ‘what is the protocol?’” Aguirre said.