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Thursday, October 9, 2014

Thomas Eric Duncan First U.S. Ebola Case

Thomas Eric Duncan First U.S. Ebola Case ---


*Reference From wikipedia

Background of first U.S. case[edit]


Thomas Eric Duncan at a wedding in Ghana in 2011
On September 30, 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that Thomas Eric Duncan traveled fromMonrovia, Liberia, on September 19, 2014, and arrived in Dallas, Texas, on September 20. Four days later, he developed symptoms, and sought medical care at 10:00 p.m. the following day, September 25. He was admitted to the hospital on September 28. On September 30, the CDC laboratory confirmed that he was infected with Ebola virus. Duncan, a Liberian national in his early-40s, had lived in Monrovia. On September 15, 2014, he helped to transfer his housemate and landlord's daughter Marthalene Williams, 19, who had Ebola, to the hospital. Williams' family took her by taxi to an Ebola Treatment Ward in Monrovia after failing to get an ambulance ride. Duncan rode in the taxi to the treatment ward with Williams, her father, and her brother Sonny Boy. Duncan rode in the front seat and the others rode in the back. The family was turned away due to lack of space and Duncan helped carry Williams from the taxi back into her home, where she died shortly thereafter.[30]
On September 19, Duncan left Monrovia for Brussels where he boarded United Airlines Flight 951 toWashington Dulles Airport. Before departing Liberia, he lied about his history of contact with the disease on an airport questionnaire, according to an airport official.[31] From Washington, he boarded United AirlinesFlight 822 to Dallas/Fort Worth. He arrived in Dallas at 7:01 p.m. CDT [32] on September 20, 2014,[9][33] and stayed with his partner and her five children, who lived in the North East community of Dallas known as Fair Oaks.[34][35]
Duncan began experiencing symptoms on September 24, 2014, and went to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital emergency room late in the evening of September 25, 2014. During this visit, his reported symptoms were a 100.1 °F (37.8 °C) fever, abdominal pain for two days, a headache, and decreased urination. He reported to not have vomiting, diarrhea, or nausea at the time. The ER nurse had asked about his travel history and recorded he had come from Liberia. It was initially reported that this information was not relayed to the doctor by the hospital's electronic medical record (EMR) system,[36] but the hospital later retracted that statement. Hospital officials also said that Duncan had been asked if he had been around anyone who had been sick, and said Duncan told them he had not.[37] He was diagnosed with a "low-grade, common viral disease" and was sent home with a prescription for antibiotics.[38] Duncan began vomiting on September 28, 2014, and was transported the same day to the same emergency room by ambulance.[39][40]His Ebola diagnosis was confirmed during a CDC news conference on September 30, 2014.[41][42]
On October 1, 2014, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced at a news conference that Duncan had contact with up to 18 people in Dallas, including several school children,[43][44] who are being monitored at home.[45] Up to 80–100 people may have had contact with people who had contact with Duncan after he showed symptoms. Health officials later monitored 50 low-risk contacts, and 10 high-risk contacts. The 10 high-risk contacts are Duncan's close family members and three ambulance workers who took him to the hospital.[46] Everyone who came into contact with Duncan are currently being monitored daily to watch for symptoms of the virus.[47]
On October 1, a second person who had close contact with Duncan was put under close observation.[48]On October 3, Howard University Hospital announced they had placed a patient in isolation after he displayed Ebola-like symptoms and had recently traveled to Nigeria,[49] but that patient was later "ruled out" of having Ebola.[50] On October 4, 2014, two people earlier suspected of having Ebola were declared not infected.[2]
Duncan was treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.[9] As of October 4, his condition had deteriorated from "serious but stable" to "critical".[51] Duncan was not given the experimental drug ZMapp, which was used to treat previous cases of Ebola in aid workers and medical staff, as stocks of the drug were depleted at the time of his infection.[52]
On October 4, Duncan began receiving the experimental drug brincidofovir, which only received a FDAemergency investigational new drug authorization for Ebola treatment on October 6. Duncan was still in critical condition as of October 6, while still receiving brincidofovir.[53][54]
On October 5, 2014, the CDC announced it had lost track of a homeless man who had been in the same ambulance Duncan had taken. They announced efforts were under way to locate the man and place him in a comfortable and compassionate monitoring environment.[55] Later that day, the CDC announced that the man had been found and is being monitored.[4]
On October 7, 2014, it was reported that Duncan's condition was improving.[56] However, he died at 7:51 a.m. Central Time (DST) on October 8, 2014, and became the first patient to die within the United States of Ebola virus disease.[57][13]

Reaction[edit]

Liberian authorities said they could prosecute Duncan if he returned because he had filled out a form before flying falsely stating he had not come into contact with an Ebola case.[58] Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation she was angry with Duncan for what he had done, especially given how much the United States was doing to help tackle the crisis:
One of our compatriots didn't take due care, and so, he's gone there and in a way put some Americans in a state of fear, and put them at some risk, and so I feel very saddened by that and very angry with him.…The fact that he knew (he might be a carrier) and he left the country is unpardonable, quite frankly.[59]
In the United States, the federal government, in statements through social media, told American citizens not to worry about an epidemic of Ebola in the United States, stating that the risk of such an epidemic was very low.[60] On Twitter on September 30, over 50,000 tweets in response to the Ebola case were posted in one hour.[61] President Obama said the government would develop expanded screening of airline passengers for Ebola, but there would be no travel ban.[62]


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