Dallas nurse with Ebola says she’s ‘doing well’

The 26-year-old nurse who contracted Ebola while taking care of an infected patient in Dallas is “doing well” and has received a blood transfusion from American doctor Kent Brantly, who overcame the virus after he was flown home from West Africa.

“I’m doing well and want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers,” Nina Pham said in a statement through Texas Health Resources. “I am blessed by the support of family and friends and am blessed to be cared for by the best team of doctors and nurses in the world here at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.”

Ms. Pham was among about 70 health care workers who treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian national who tested positive for the deadly virus shortly after his arrival in Texas. He died last week, and Ms. Pham tested positive over the weekend even though she wore a full-body suit to avoid infection

Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan said the hospital was working “tirelessly” to help her.

“The doctors and nurses involved with her treatment remain hopeful, and we ask for the prayers of the entire country,” he said.

Also Tuesday, Dr. Bruce Aylward of the World Health Organization said at a news conference in Geneva that the death rate from Ebola has risen from 50 percent to 70 percent, and that “a lot more people will die” if the world does not step up its response in the next 60 days, The Associated Press reported.

The epidemic has hit West African nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea the hardest, resulting in more than 4,400 deaths.

Meanwhile, American nurses are calling for adequate protection and training on the home front, while Congress will examine the U.S. response at a hearing on Thursday.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Tuesday brushed off the notion of an “Ebola czar,” saying the federal government is doing an effective job of containing the virus with its existing structure.

“At this point we have a structure in place in which the CDC and HHS are responsible for the efforts to contain Ebola in this country,” he said. “At this point, we have a clear line of responsibility, and that’s what we’ve been using so far.”

Mr. Earnest also said the White House wants more information about how the virus was transmitted in Texas.

“It is clear that more needs to be known about what exactly happened in this Texas hospital,” he said.

• Ben Wolfgang contributed to this report.