Dallas - Thousands of US health workers have joined social media campaigns in the past few days to support a Texas nurse who became the first person infected with Ebola in the United States, which she contracted caring for a dying African patient at a Dallas hospital.
The nurse, Nina Pham, 26, was diagnosed at the weekend and is in an isolation unit at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where she worked.
Her illness has raised questions about whether a lapse in infectious disease protocols was behind her becoming infected.
“She isn't sick because she is a bad nurse, didn't follow protocol, or was inadequately trained. She is the RN (registered nurse) who made a sacrifice to care for a very sick man,” Roy Rannila, a staff member for the Texas hospital group caring for Pham wrote on his Facebook page.
One page called “Presby Strong and Proud,” which is less than two days old, had more than 1 500 “likes.”
It shows photos of hospital staff wearing “PresbyProud” buttons and encourages health professionals to change their Facebook profile picture to the hospital's network logo as a show of support for Pham.
A Facebook page, “Nurses for Nina,” has garnered over 4 500 “likes” in less than 24 hours and messages of support from healthcare providers from Texas and Oklahoma to Arizona and Washington DC.
Dr Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said health authorities are still investigating how Pham became infected while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, who contracted Ebola in his native Liberia and died last week at the Dallas hospital.
Frieden has also apologised for initial remarks that suggested a breach in protocol led to her being exposed her to the virus.
Pham said in a statement on Tuesday that she was doing well.
“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,” she added.
At Texas Christian University in nearby Ft. Worth, where Pham graduated in 2010 with a degree in nursing, several dozen students and faculty held a prayer vigil for her on Tuesday night in the majestic chapel on campus, lighting candles and singing songs in her honour.
Erin Taylor, a graduate student in divinity who belonged to a sorority with Pham while they were undergraduates, described the nurse as studious, selfless and courageous.
“We love you and are praying for you and your dog,” Taylor said.
Pham's 1-year-old King Charles Spaniel has been taken from her apartment to an undisclosed location where its health will be checked.
Reverend Allison Lanza, another speaker, said Pham was part of the lifelong extended community of “horned frogs,” the name of the school's sports teams.
“All horned frogs are part of this TCU family,” Lanza said. - Reuters