The health of the Spanish nurse being treated for Ebola has deteriorated, according to the Madrid hospital where she is being treated.

Another person, the doctor who first tended to her, has been placed in isolation bringing to seven the number of people in quarantine.

The patient, Teresa Romero, is the only one to have tested positive for the virus.

Authorities insist that the contamination was a result of human error:

Javier Rodriguez from the Department of Health in Madrid said: “Everyone is aware that since the patient was admitted, she denied any errors. But she has admitted to her doctor she made a mistake when she removed her suit, she had contact with the glove.”

Nursing unions are furious and claim the current protocol is not fit for purpose.

Isabel Lozano with the SAF nursing union said: “There is a huge failure of protocol. Maybe Teresa did rub her face with a glove. The issue is not whether she lied or if she hid information from her doctor. The fact is the protocol failed.”

The investigation into how the nurse contracted the disease continues, and the government is to review its Ebola protocol.