CDC Director Clarifies ‘Breach of Protocol’ Comment

Yesterday CDC Director Tom Frieden told Face the Nation that the transmission of ebola from Thomas Eric Duncan to a medical worker had resulted from a “breach of protocol,” a comment that caused worried chatter that medical professionals were not following protocols and therefore here comes the dystopian apocalypse.

Frieden clarified the comment in a press conference Monday, saying:

“I spoke about a breach in protocol and that’s what we speak about in public health when we’re talking about what needs to happen. Our focus is to say, ‘would this protocol have prevented the infection?’ We believe it would have. But some interpreted that as finding fault with the hospital or the health care worker, and I’m sorry if that was the impression given. That was certainly not my intention.

“People on the front lines are really protecting all of us. People on the front lines are fighting ebola. The enemy here is a virus, ebola. It’s not a person, it’s not a country, it’s not a place, it’s not a hospital, it’s a virus. It’s a virus tough to fight, but together I’m confident that we will stop it.”

Watch the video below, via Fox News:

[Image via screengrab]

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