Ebola outbreak: US nurse is in a ‘fair’ state after move to special unit

She is being treated by staff specialising in infectious diseases and critical care

Nurse Nina Pham lies on her hospital bed at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas (Getty Images)

The first nurse to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States after treating an infected man at a Dallas hospital is in a fair condition and being treated at a specialised isolation unit near Washington.

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said yesterday that Nina Pham’s condition was stable and she was resting comfortably at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland.

Ms Pham, 26, arrived shortly before midnight and was admitted to the clinical studies unit. Doctors said her mother and sister are also now in the Washington area.

She is being treated by staff specialising in infectious disease and critical care. Workers are monitored as they put on and remove protective clothing and they limit the amount of time they spend in her room to prevent infection and reduce fatigue.

At a briefing, Dr Fauci was asked if Ms Pham’s condition had changed for the worse since she left Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, where she was described as in good condition. “She’s not deteriorating,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has named Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice-President Joe Biden, as the man to lead the US government’s response to the Ebola crisis. Mr Obama has been under pressure to name an Ebola “tsar” to oversee health security in the US and actions to help stem the outbreak in West Africa.

Mr Klain has been out of government since leaving Mr Biden’s office during Mr Obama’s first term. The White House said that Mr Klain would report to national security adviser Susan Rice and to homeland security and counter-terrorism adviser Lisa Monaco.

Mr Klain, a lawyer, also served as chief of staff for Vice-President Al Gore. He previously served under Attorney General Janet Reno in the Clinton administration.

AP