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| Duncan on the right, the man who brought to the US |
The disease was brought into Dallas, United States by Thomas
Eric Duncan on September 20. In an interview with Association Press, Duncan’s
sister Mai Wureh identified him.
Duncan was sent home last week by
a Dallas emergency room even though he told a nurse that he had been in
disease-ravaged West Africa. The decision by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
to release him could have put others at risk of exposure to Ebola before he went
back to the ER a couple of days later when his condition worsened.
The man has been kept in isolation
at the hospital since Sunday. He was listed Thursday in serious but stable
condition.
Liberia is one of the three
countries hit hardest in the epidemic, along with Sierra Leone and
Guinea.
The hospital told CNN in a statement 'At that time, the patient
presented with low-grade fever and abdominal pain. His condition did not
warrant admission. He also was not exhibiting symptoms specific to Ebola.'
“The hospital followed all
suggested CDC protocols at that time,' the hospital also said. 'Texas Health
Presbyterian Hospital Dallas' staff is thoroughly trained in infection control
procedures and protocols.”
Neighbours in the Liberian capital
believe Duncan become infected when he helped bundle a sick pregnant neighbour
into a taxi a few weeks ago and set off with her to find treatment. However, it
was not clear whether he had learned of the woman's diagnosis before travelling.
Ebola has killed more than 3,000
people in different parts of the world, with Liberia and Sierra Leone being the
worse hit.
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