A Dallas health care worker who has been diagnosed with Ebola got sick because safety protocols for treating a man who later died from the disease were not followed, health officials said Sunday.

The unidentified health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who tested positive for Ebola wore full protective gear while she cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who died from Ebola on October 8.

But just wearing the gear isn't enough to avoid danger, according to health officials who suggested that contamination could have occurred while the health care worker was putting on or taking off the protective gear, which consists of a gown, a mask, gloves, a face shield, and booties.

"We don't know what occurred in the care of the patient in Dallas, but at some point there was a breach in protocol," said Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Dallas health care worker's illness is a reminder of the risks medical personnel have faced during the Ebola outbreak that began in West Africa, and of how U.S. health officials have been scrambling to try to ensure the safety of medical personnel who may come in contact with Ebola patients.

At least 416 health care workers have been infected with Ebola in West Africa this year and 233 have died, greatly limiting the care options there, and the willingness of others to provide that care. In total, more than 8,300 people have been infected by Ebola this year and about 4,000 have died.

Health care workers in the West typically are better protected from contagious diseases than those in Africa, because Western workers and hospitals have the knowledge and equipment to shut down the spread of infections.

But the outbreak of Ebolawhich is spread through close contact with symptomatic person's bodily fluids such as blood, vomit, feces, or semenis raising questions about just how prepared U.S. health care workers and hospitals really are.

Ashish Jha, professor of health policy at the Harvard School of Public Health, said medical protocols have to be followed meticulously to protect health care workers from Ebola.

It's not yet clear specifically how the Dallas health care worker became infected, but Jha said it likely occurred when she was taking off her protective equipment, which he said has to be done very carefully to avoid contamination. At the most well-run Ebola treatment units in Africa, a staff member is responsible for watching other workers, particularly when they take off their gear, to make sure no one comes in contact with the outside of the gear.

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Ebola Health Care Worker Sick Because Safety Rules Werent Followed, O