Ebola bares hospital training, disease control flaws

Nina Pham, a critical care nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, is the first American to contract Ebola on U.S. soil. /Image via pbs.org

Despite confident statements from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America's first test treating an unexpected case of Ebola teetered on the brink of total failure.

Missteps at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, insufficient CDC protocols, and an apparent shortfall of preparedness across the public health spectrum have exposed gaping holes in capabilities to stave off potentially cataclysmic biological threats. As the crisis deepens, a moment of truth looms for U.S. health care.

Beyond containing the outbreak in Texas, there are colossal challenges in the weeks and months ahead:

• Rearranging the CDC's national response to Ebola on the fly
• Boosting preparedness at more than 4,000 acute care hospitals
• Restoring confidence in hospitals, both among caregivers and the general public