Beginning with the misdiagnosis of Thomas Eric Duncan on Sept. 26, there have been a number of missteps in the effort to contain the Ebola virus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Thomas Frieden and other health officials have said. The main mission of the CDC, which has a fiscal year 2014 operating plan of nearly $11 billion, is to protect people from health threats.
Dr. Anthony Fauci during a briefing on Oct. 3.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP / Getty Images
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, blamed Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital workers for poorly monitoring Thomas Eric Duncan and added they "dropped the ball."
Duncan told staff he traveled from Liberia, but was released. He later returned to the hospital and his Ebola infection was confirmed.
"A travel history was taken, but it wasn't communicated to the people who were making the decision," Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN. "It was a mistake. They dropped the ball."
He added that the "CDC has been vigorously emphasizing the need for a travel history."
Nina Pham, one of the dozens of health care workers treating Duncan, was diagnosed with the disease, officials announced Sunday.
The CDC released a three-page guide to wearing protective gear, and the National Nurses United union said their members were not sufficiently trained to handle Ebola patients. Dr. Fauci said there was "an inadvertent, innocent breach of protocol of taking care of a patient within the personal protective equipment."
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