Found: Homeless Man Sought in Ebola Case Being Monitored Ebola Victim Thomas Duncans Health FailsNIGHTLY NEWS Authorities in Texas have found a missing homeless man who may have been exposed to the deadly Ebola virus, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Sunday. At a news conference earlier Sunday, Jenkins said authorities were searching for a “low-risk individual” who was a contact of the first U.S. Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan. He said authorities had been “working to locate the individual and get him to a comfortable, compassionate place where we can monitor him and care for his every need for the full incubation period.” He noted that the man “has not committed a crime.” The individual was last monitored on Saturday, but then went “missing,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden. At the same news conference Sunday, Frieden said the CDC was being flooded with hundreds of calls every day about Ebola as doctors worked to treat Duncan at a Dallas hospital. He said they were receiving roughly 800 phone calls a day about Ebola — a sharp increase from about 50 a day. But Frieden said he had no doubt the U.S. would stop Ebola in its tracks in Texas. He noted, however, that Duncan has taken a turn for the worse. He was in critical condition Saturday, the hospital said. Frieden also told reporters in a briefing that as far as we understand, experimental medicine — which has helped other American Ebola patients — is not being used on Duncan. Frieden said 114 people suspected of having had contact with Duncan were assessed by officials, who found that 66 of them did not. He said officials have identified 10 people who appeared to have had contact with Duncan — seven healthcare workers and three family or community contacts. He added there were 38 other people officials could not rule out, and that those people would be tracked for 21 days to see if they came down with fevers. That is how we stopped every outbreak in the world with Ebola, Frieden said. Texas has not had any additional cases of Ebola since Duncan’s diagnosis, and nobody else has reported any symptoms of the virus, said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Service. He added the state was still very cautious to make sure we care for individuals and monitor the situation the way it needs to be done.” Earlier on Sunday, Frieden appeared on NBCs Meet the Press and said “the drug pipeline is going to be slow. He said The most promising drug, ZMapp — there’s no more of it, and it’s hard to make, it takes months to make just a bit. He indicated that agencies were pursuing other avenues to fight the spread of Ebola, including multiple vaccines that are in the trial stage. IN-DEPTH NBC News Freelancer Diagnosed With Ebola Headed to U.S. CDC Director Tom Frieden: Ebola Drug Pipeline Will Be Slow — Daniel Arkin First published October 5th 2014, 8:36 am EBOLA VIRUS OUTBREAK Federal Officials Cast Doubt on Ebola Travel Ban Dan Pfeiffer on MTP: Weve Been Preparing For Seven MonthsMEET THE PRESS Top government health officials said Sunday that they are opposed to placing a ban on travelers from Ebola-infected countries, warning that shutting down borders could impede efforts by aid workers to stop the spread of the deadly virus. The idea of a ban gained currency this past week after the nations first case was diagnosed in Dallas. Proponents have argued that it would help ensure public safety. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, said a travel embargo on West African countries that are struggling with Ebola would make it much harder for them to control the virus. You isolate them, you can cause unrest in the country, Fauci told Fox News Sunday. Its conceivable that governments could fall if you just isolate them completely. British Airways and some other airlines have suspended flights from those countries, and overall traffic to and from the affected areas has dropped. Rep. Tim Murphy plans to conduct hearings on the policy this coming week. He leads the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Asking travelers to report their own activities at airports has been a demonstrated failure, and it is nearly impossible to retrace steps to try and track down everyone who has been in contact with a carrier taking multiple international flights across the globe, Murphy, a Pennsylvania Republican, said Friday. U.S. officials have emphasized that the United States has a modern medical system that is far better equipped to contain an outbreak than the African countries where Ebola is currently spreading. Airline passengers have their temperatures taken as they board planes in the outbreak zone, although those infected with Ebola can go up to 21 days before they exhibit symptoms. Passengers are also asked about contact with infected people, but that process would not be useful if a passenger lies or simply does not realize the medical condition of people they have encountered. IN-DEPTH Counting the Minutes: NBC News Freelancer With Ebola Headed to U.S. Found: Homeless Man Sought in Ebola Case Being Monitored - The Associated Press First published October 5th 2014, 3:39 pm LOAD MORE About UsCareersContactPrivacy Policy – UPDATEDTerms of ServiceSite mapAdvertiseAdChoices© 2014 NBCNews
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 00:06:10 +0000
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