Plans to prosecute
Liberia will prosecute Duncan for allegedly lying on an airport questionnaire about not having any contact with an infected person. He filled out a series of questions about his health and activities on Sept. 19, answering no to all of them. The form asked whether he had cared for an Ebola patient or touched the body of anyone who had died in an area affected by Ebola.Binyah Kesselly, chairman of the board of directors of the Liberia Airport Authority in Monrovia:
We expect people to do the honorable thing.
The agency obtained permission from the Ministry of Justice to pursue the matter.
Hospital mistake
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci tells CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper that Texas Health Presbyterian made a mistake by releasing Duncan:
A travel history was taken, but it wasn’t communicated to the people who were making the decision. … It was a mistake. They dropped the ball. You don’t want to pile on them, but hopefully this will never happen again. … The CDC has been vigorously emphasizing the need for a travel history.
Alert issued to hospitals
The CDC has issued a nationwide alert to hospitals updating them on how to appropriately respond to possible Ebola cases after Duncan was sent home after contracting the virus. CDC director Frieden:
It’s a teachable moment.
The guidance includes a poster with quick rules for evaluating returned travelers and a checklist.
Won’t be given ZMapp
Duncan won’t be given ZMapp, as all the dosages currently in existence have already been used. ZMapp is manufacturing more supplies, but the drug takes months to produce.
Hasn’t eaten in a week
A friend who speaks with Duncan says he is ‘all right’ but hasn’t eaten in a week:
He is in pain.
Health Presbyterian says he remains in serious condition.
Schoolchildren exposed
Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles says five children from four of the district’s campuses were possibly exposed to the virus:
- Conrad High School
- Tasby Middle School
- Hotchkiss Elementary School
- Dan D. Rogers Elementary School
Tasby Middle School shares a campus with Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School, but DISD officials say no students at Lowe Elementary were directly exposed. The students who may have had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan attended classes earlier in the week, but none have exhibited symptoms. Miles:
So, the odds of them passing on any sort of virus is very low
The children are at home and being monitored by Dallas County Health and Human Services, while the schools have been staffed with additional health employees and more sanitation staff.
Cares for Duncan
Vinson is one of the nurses who cares for Duncan. She draws his blood, inserts catheters, and deals with his bodily fluids, according to Duncan’s medical records obtained by the Associated Press.
Admitted to hospital
Duncan arrives at Texas Health Presbyterian by ambulance and is admitted. A friend says that he called the CDC after Duncan was sent home from the hospital, who told him to call the Texas Board of Health and the message eventually got to the hospital. Health Presbyterian says by the time Duncan arrived:
EMS had already identified potential need for isolation. The hospital followed all suggested CDC protocols at that time.
Presents at hospital
Duncan presents at Texas Health Presbyterian after 10 p.m. local time. He undergoes basic blood tests but isn’t screened for Ebola, and is given antibiotics and a pain killer. Dr. Edward Goodman:
His condition did not warrant admission. He also was not exhibiting symptoms specific to Ebola.
Although Duncan informs a nurse that he has traveled from Liberia. Staff say this is not ‘fully communicated’ to the hospital’s medical team.
Contact with 12-18 people
Duncan comes into contact with 12 to 18 people in Dallas over a period of several days after he starts developing symptoms. Five of them are his girlfriend’s children. An ambulance crew that takes him to hospital are also among those identified.
Develops symptoms
CDC director Frieden says Duncan developed symptoms ‘four or five days” after traveling to the U.S. The incubation period is two to 21 days.
Travels to U.S. via Belgium
Duncan leaves Liberia for the U.S. He boards an SN Brussels Airlines flight to Brussels. He then boards United Airlines Flight 951 to Washington Dulles and Flight 822 to Dallas-Fort Worth.
Tested in Liberia
Duncan is tested at Roberts International Airport, 35 miles east of Monrovia before boarding his flight to the U.S. via Belgium. He does not have high fever, sweating, vomiting or weakness. Jay Nagbe Sloh, the director-general of the state-run Liberia News Agency:
He showed no Ebola signs.
Thomas Eric Duncan born in Liberia
Thomas Eric Duncan is born in Monrovia, Liberia to Nowai Korkoya. He has one sister, Mai.