There was a fairly detailed discussion about this with Dr. LePook (sp?) on Face the Nation.
Apparently it was from the second time he was hospitalized and they really went all out to try to save his life, including dialysis.
A procedure like that carries a much higher risk because it’s much more invasive and involving filtering blood etc. etc.
Evidently something as simple as not following protocol EXACTLY when removing one’s gloves (or something equally mundane) can carry with it a risk of exposure.
It was also pointed out that there are four centers in the USA which typically handle the most dangerous of communicable diseases of all types (Dallas is not one of them) and the entire staff at these centers repeatedly goes through drills on the proper protocol and procedures.
Most of the recent Ebola patients were treated at one of these centers and there was no infection of any healthcare workers afterward, so it’s not likely that something about Ebola has essentially changed.
Also, it’s highly likely that in the future, once diagnosed, Ebola patients will be transferred for ongoing care to one of these four centers with the most experience and training in handling highly infectious diseases.
It makes sense to me that the more experience a staff, as a whole, has in dealing with these highly contagious diseases, the less the likelihood of simple errors.
Also, keep in mind, that it was the intake nurse at Dallas who failed to communicate the fact that this man had JUST returned from W. Africa, to the rest of the medical staff and therefore he was sent home. It was a simple error which almost anyone could make in a busy ER.
But, its also highly unlikely that it would have happened at any one of the four centers with far more experience in this particular realm of medicine.