Another person, this time, a healthcare worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for Ebola after a preliminary test.

The state’s health agency said a confirmatory test will be carried out on the victim by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The healthcare worker was said to have assisted with the treatment of Thomas Duncan, who was the first person diagnosed with the virus in the United States and later died on Wednesday.

A statement issued on Sunday morning by the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, David Lakey said the new case of the virus disease was expected, saying that they have been preparing for the possibility of a new case of the disease.

“We are broadening ourteam in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.” he said.

If eventually it is confirmed by the CDC, the healthcare worker’s case would mark the first known transmission of Ebola in the United States and the second-ever diagnosis in the country.

The deadly virus has wreaked havoc in some African countries including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra-Leone, as well as very few cases in Nigeria.

According to the World Health Organization, WHO, counts, more than 8,300 persons have contracted Ebola during the current outbreak. Of those, more than 4,000 people have died, more than 50 per cent fatality.