The first case of Ebola transmission outside Africa in this current outbreak occurred in Madrid, Spain. It was a nurse who had helped care for the two priests who had died of Ebola earlier last month.

A grim reminder that infection control practices are not foolproof, even in a developed country with an advanced healthcare system such as Spain. If control is not established over the Ebola hotspots in West Africa, then more cases of disease exportation and secondary transmission are likely in the near future.