The patient was infected with the deadly virus in Liberia. He is known to have then flown to Brussels, Belgium, but there are no direct flights to Dallas from there.
That raises the alarming prospect that he may have travelled via Heathrow, the world's busiest international airport, to take a connecting flight back home to Texas
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency in charge of public health, has refused to release the flight information for the patient, claiming 'It's just not necessary'.
But Liberia's ministry of information revealed the patient travelled through Brussels on his way to the U.S. There are no direct flights from there to Dallas, so he would have made at least one more transfer.
He left Monrovia on Friday, September 19, and arrived in Dallas the following day. American Airlines run regular non-stop flights from Heathrow to Dallas Fort Worth every Saturday.
The CDC insisted anyone who shared a flight with the infected man had nothing to fear. 'The ill person did not exhibit symptoms of Ebola during the flights from West Africa and CDC does not recommend that people on the same commercial airline flights undergo monitoring, as Ebola is only contagious if the person is experiencing active symptoms,' the agency said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. a possible second Ebola patient is being carefully watched today after he had close contact with the man.
Up to 12 people could be infected with Ebola including five children, it was revealed on Wednesday, as health
officials scramble to contain the infection. The family of the original
male sufferer, who recently arrived in Texas from Liberia, are being
considered at risk.
The
potential second case, who was upgraded to a 'serious' condition today,
is a male who had been in close proximity to several children before
being taken into hospital.
The
first male patient, who arrived in Dallas on September 20, is
critically ill
and has been quarantined
since Sunday. He is 'awake, talking and asking for food', doctors said
today. However there are fears of the disease spreading because the man
was in the U.S. for almost a week before being isolated.
The
patient showed no
symptoms of the disease during his journey - which also included a stop
en route in Brussels, Belgium - but began to develop signs on
September 24. He sought medical care two days later at Texas
Presbyterian Hospital - where he was dismissed with antibiotics.
On
September 28, the man, believed to be in his fifties, was rushed to
hospital in an ambulance while vomiting and quarantined. It
raises the frightening prospect that he was mixing freely with others
for a full four days while showing symptoms of the virus - the time when
Ebola is most contagious.
The ambulance which carried the patient
suffering from Ebola has been isolated at Texas Health Presbyterian
Hospital in an effort to prevent the spread of Ebola following the first
diagnosis on U.S. soil
Health workers in protective suits at Island
Hospital in Monrovia on September 30. Liberia has been hit the hardest
by the worst ever outbreak of Ebola, which has killed more than 3,000
people in West Africa
CDC
'disease detectives' are now going door-to-door to find out who may have
come in contact with the man while he was contagious with Ebola.
Ambulance
37 which transported him to the hospital has been cordoned off. There
are concerns after it was used to move patients for two days after the
Ebola patient but hospital officials have reassured citizens that it was
properly sterilized.
The
ambulance crew who transported the Ebola patient all tested negative
for Ebola on Wednesday but have been placed in 'reverse isolation' at
their homes for the next 21 days as a precaution.
The
man arrived in the U.S. on September 20 from the West African region,
where the disease has been rapidly spreading since its outbreak last
December.
While en route to the U.S., he also traveled through Brussels in Belgium, the Liberian Ministry of Information confirmed today.
There is believed to be no risk to
anyone who traveled on the same flight from Liberia because he did not
have any symptoms at the time. The virus is not contagious until
symptoms develop and is then transmitted via bodily fluids.
TIMELINE OF EBOLA DIAGNOSIS
- September 19 - Man boards flight in Liberia
- September 20 - Man lands in Dallas
- September 24 - Man starts to develop symptoms
- September 26 - Man goes to hospital but is sent home with antibiotics
- September 28 - Man placed in isolation in Dallas hospital
- September 30 - Man's blood tests positive for Ebola
Health
officials are investigating the misdiagnosis and why the patient's
isolation was delayed despite his symptoms and his travel history.
Community
leaders are also assisting medical professionals in the hunt for those
who need to be tested while trying to quell panic in the local Dallas
community.
Stanley Gaye, president of the Liberian Community Association of Dallas-Fort Worth,
told MailOnline on Wednesday that he believed the patient was a man in his 50s.
told MailOnline on Wednesday that he believed the patient was a man in his 50s.
He understood that the man had been visiting
his wife or fiancée and the house he had been staying had a lot of
children living there.
His identity has not been officially confirmed.
Mr Gaye said at a community meeting on Tuesday: 'We've been telling people to try to stay away from social gatherings.
'We need to know who it is so that they (family members) can all go get tested. If they are aware, they should let us know. We are very concerned about it'.
Alben
Tarty, spokesman for the association, said he was keen to avoid a panic
but that he wanted anyone infected to come forward. He said that the
patient was a 'family man' and was thought to have children.
Mr Tarty said: 'It's scary for them'.
The patient was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and isolated on September 28. according to Centers
for Disease Control Director Tom Frieden.
The total number of deaths from the Ebola virus in West Africa, using data collected by September 23
The patient is reportedly not being treated with the experimental serum ZMapp - because there is none left.AMBULANCE CREW WHO TRANSPORTED EBOLA PATIENT FACE NERVOUS WAIT IN ISOLATION
The
ambulance crew who transported the man diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas,
Texas have tested negative for the virus, it was reported today, but
will be placed in isolation for three weeks as a precaution.
The three individuals have been sent home in 'reverse isolation' for 21 days. They must report their temperatures daily and any changes in health to the CDC, Fox reported. If they develop a fever or any other symptoms, they will be immediately quarantined.
Their family and friends are also being monitored.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Norman Seals told Fox that his crew's 'quick-thinking' meant that precautions like gloves and masks were immediately put in place when they recognized the man's symptoms and found out his travel history.
The ambulance used by the Fire Station 37 crew has also been cordoned off - but there are concerns because it was used for two days after the patient was transported but before Ebola was confirmed.
The three individuals have been sent home in 'reverse isolation' for 21 days. They must report their temperatures daily and any changes in health to the CDC, Fox reported. If they develop a fever or any other symptoms, they will be immediately quarantined.
Their family and friends are also being monitored.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Norman Seals told Fox that his crew's 'quick-thinking' meant that precautions like gloves and masks were immediately put in place when they recognized the man's symptoms and found out his travel history.
The ambulance used by the Fire Station 37 crew has also been cordoned off - but there are concerns because it was used for two days after the patient was transported but before Ebola was confirmed.
Dr Frieden said there was no risk to anyone on the airplane because the patient had no symptoms at the time of the flight.
It is not clear how the patient became infected.
'From
the information that we have now, it does not appear the individual was
involved in the response to Ebola, but that's something we'll
investigate more,' he said on Tuesday.
The man's name or nationality have not yet been released but it is understood that he was visiting relatives in the U.S.
Asked
how
many people the patient may have had close contact with, the CDC
Director said: 'I think a handful is the right characterization.'
The man is not believed to have gone to any other hospitals in the area.
President Obama is aware of the patient's Ebola diagnosis and the public health investigation, the White House said.
Dr Frieden said he believed the case also marked the first time this strain of Ebola has been diagnosed outside of West Africa.
The unidentified patient is
being kept in isolation and the hospital is following Centers for
Disease Control recommendations to keep doctors, staff and patients
safe.
Dr Edward Goodman, epidemiologist for
Texas Health Presbyterian, said the hospital had a plan for handling
Ebola should a suspected case emerge and was 'well prepared' to provide
care.
An ambulance pulls into the Dallas Fire-Rescue
station 37 today. Three crew have been isolated after they came in
contact with the first Ebola patient to be diagnosed on U.S. soil. They
have tested negative but every precaution is being taken
The CDC has indicated which portions of West Africa where Ebola is being transmitted between people
CDC Director Tom Frieden said on Tuesday that
the male patient took a plane from Liberia to the U.S. on September 19
and was admitted to hospital on September 28
Dallas
Mayor Mike Rawlings told CBS DFW: 'We have quarantined both [the
ambulance crew that took the patient to the hospital] and the unit
itself to make sure that nothing was there that can be spread.'
He
added: 'First and foremost, we gotta have our thoughts and prayers for
this man, who is very sick and hopefully he'll get well. But we're gonna
sure everybody else is safe at the same time.'
The patient's symptoms and
recent travel indicated a case of Ebola.
Specimens
from the patient were tested by a state lab and confirmed by a separate
test by the Centers for Disease Control, said Carrie Williams,
spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.The hospital is reviewing why the patient was initially sent home with antibiotics.
Zachary Thompson, director of Dallas County Health & Human Services, said health officials in North Texas are well equipped to care for the patient.
'This is not Africa,' he told Dallas station WFAA. 'We have a great infrastructure to deal with an outbreak.'
Twelve other people in the U.S. have been tested for Ebola since July 27, according to the CDC. All of those tests were negative.
Four U.S. aid workers who became infected while volunteering in West Africa have been treated in special isolation facilities in hospitals in Atlanta and Nebraska.
A U.S. doctor exposed to the virus in Sierra Leone is under observation in a similar facility at the National Institutes of Health.
HOW THE U.S. WOKE UP TO VIRUS THREAT: THE AMERICANS WITH EBOLA
Though
the nationality of the man
being treated in Dallas, Texas has not been publicly disclosed, four Americans
made headlines after they contracted the Ebola virus in West Africa.
Three of those individuals have been released from the hospital.
Dr Kent Brantly
Brantly wrote in a Time magazine column that he and his family moved to Liberia, where he contracted the Ebola virus in July.
The Samaritan's Purse doctor was transported to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and survived. He was treated with the experimental ZMapp serum.
Nancy Writebol
A missionary for SIM and Brantly's colleague who helped decontaminate medical staff treating Ebola patients, Mrs Writebol developed the Ebola virus in Liberia in July.
She, too, was transported to Emory University Hospital and survived. She was similar treated with the experimental serum.
Dr Rick Sacra
Sacra was in Liberia with Samaritan's Purse when he became sick with Ebola.
He was flown to Nebraska Medical Center, and Brantly provided blood transfusions to help him. Dr Sacra has since been cleared of the disease and released from hospital.
Possible fourth patient
The identity of the exposed American has not been publicly listed. The National Institutes of Health said 'The patient is an American physician who was volunteering services in an Ebola treatment in Sierra Leone' and is inside the NIH Clinical Center.
Three of those individuals have been released from the hospital.
Dr Kent Brantly
Dr Kent Brantly, a doctor with Samaritan's Purse
in Libera, contracted Ebola while treating patients in West Africa. He
is pictured being released from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta,
Georgia on August 21 after being cleared of the disease
Brantly wrote in a Time magazine column that he and his family moved to Liberia, where he contracted the Ebola virus in July.
The Samaritan's Purse doctor was transported to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and survived. He was treated with the experimental ZMapp serum.
Nancy Writebol
Nancy Writebol, a missionary colleague of Dr
Brantly, was diagnosed with Ebola at the same time and flown to Emory.
She is pictured on September 3 following her recovery. Like Dr Brantly,
she was also treated with an experimental serum, called ZMapp
A missionary for SIM and Brantly's colleague who helped decontaminate medical staff treating Ebola patients, Mrs Writebol developed the Ebola virus in Liberia in July.
She, too, was transported to Emory University Hospital and survived. She was similar treated with the experimental serum.
Dr Rick Sacra
Dr Rick Sacra was treated at Nebraska Medical
Center in the isolation unit after contracting Ebola in Libera. He is
pictured at a September 26 press conference following his recovery
Sacra was in Liberia with Samaritan's Purse when he became sick with Ebola.
He was flown to Nebraska Medical Center, and Brantly provided blood transfusions to help him. Dr Sacra has since been cleared of the disease and released from hospital.
Possible fourth patient
The identity of the exposed American has not been publicly listed. The National Institutes of Health said 'The patient is an American physician who was volunteering services in an Ebola treatment in Sierra Leone' and is inside the NIH Clinical Center.
An epidemic of the Ebola virus (seen here in a file photo) has killed more than 3,000 people in West Africa
Caution: Ebola is not contagious until symptoms begin, and it takes close contact with bodily fluids to spread
The U.S. has only four such isolation units. But asked whether the male patient from Liberia would be moved to one of those specialty facilities, Dr Frieden said there was no need and virtually any hospital can provide the proper care and infection control.
WHAT IS THE EBOLA VIRUS?
- The CDC says 'Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo'
- Four types of Ebola can make people sick, the agency says
- Ebola symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, vomiting and bleeding, and can appear as long as 21 days after exposure to the virus
- Ebola is not contagious until symptoms begin, and it takes close contact with bodily fluids to spread
- Liberia is one of the three hardest-hit countries in the epidemic, along with Sierra Leone and Guinea
- The epidemic has killed more than 3,000 people in West Africa
- People boarding planes in the outbreak zone are checked for fever, but that does not guarantee that an infected person won't get through
One of the
health workers who contracted Ebola, Samaritan's Purse Dr Kent Brantly,
testified to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee
about prevention methods earlier this month, The National Journal reported.
'Many have used the analogy of a fire burning out of control to describe this unprecedented Ebola outbreak,' Brantly said.
'Indeed it is a fire - it is a fire straight from the pit of hell. We
cannot fool ourselves into thinking that the vast moat of the Atlantic
Ocean will protect us from the flames of this fire.
'Instead, we must mobilize the resources... to keep entire nations from being reduced to ashes.'
Just one
day before the Dallas Ebola case was publicly confirmed, Bill Gates said
at a breakfast meeting that countries should get ready to handle a possible outbreak of
the deadly virus as people from
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea move across borders.
'Because
of that uncertainty, I am not going to hazard a guess,' Gates said when
asked whether he thinks the massive ramping up of international aid
over the past few weeks is enough.
'We are sorry to learn of the confirmed case of Ebola in Dallas,' Samaritan's Purse president Bruce Johnson said in a statement on Tuesday.
'This person did exactly the right thing – report to a hospital.'
He
added: 'I am grateful for what we have available in the U.S. We have
seen the success and survival rate of Americans cared for in a
well-equipped medical center. We need to help share this with the people
of West Africa.
'We
will be praying for the survival of this patient and that doctors will
continue to learn at a quickened pace what will help fight this epidemic
across West Africa.'
Ebola
symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, vomiting and bleeding, and can
appear as long as 21 days after exposure to the virus.Ebola is not contagious until symptoms begin, and it takes close contact with bodily fluids to spread.
The New York Times reported traveling medical workers are treated with suspicion, and that they must also deal with 'a belief that simply saying "Ebola" aloud makes the disease appear.'
Health officials use two primary guidelines when deciding whether to test a person for the virus - whether that person has traveled to West Africa and whether he or she has been near friends or relatives or other people who have been exposed to the virus, said CDC spokesman Jason McDonald.
Since the summer months, U.S. health officials have been preparing for the possibility that an individual traveler could unknowingly arrive with the infection. Health authorities have advised hospitals on how to prevent the virus from spreading within their facilities.
People boarding planes in the outbreak zone are checked for fever, but that does not guarantee that an infected person won't get through. Liberia is one of the three hardest-hit countries in the epidemic, along with Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The epidemic has killed more than 3,000 people in West Africa.
BILL GATES: 'EBOLA COULD SPREAD BEYOND WEST AFRICA'
Billionaire and philanthropist Bill
Gates has warned that countries should get ready to handle a possible
outbreak of Ebola in case it spreads further as people from
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea travel across borders.
'Because of that uncertainty, I am not going to hazard a guess,' Gates said after being asked whether he thinks the massive ramping up of international aid over the past few weeks is enough.
The World Bank has started working with countries on developing plans should the highly infectious disease spread.
The lesson so far is that countries with strong primary healthcare systems already in place are well positioned to halt the march of Ebola, as Nigeria and Senegal have demonstrated in their quick response to cases there, Gates said.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funneled extra money in July and August towards Nigeria and pledged an additional $50million on September 10 to fight the epidemic, which so far has infected over 6,000 people mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The World Health Organization warns the infection rate probably is three times that number and could reach 20,000 by November. The death rate is over 50 per cent.
The lesson so far is that countries with strong primary healthcare systems already in place are well positioned to halt the march of Ebola, as Nigeria and Senegal have demonstrated in their quick response to cases there, Gates said.
To contain the epidemic, the United States on September 16 announced the deployment of 3,000 military engineers and medical personnel to build 17 treatment clinics and train healthcare workers, mostly in Liberia, at a cost of about $1billion.
The United Kingdom and France also are increasing their assistance and the United Nations has stepped forward to coordinate the international effort.
The Gates Foundation has deep expertise in fighting infectious diseases, especially malaria, HIV/Aids, polio and tuberculosis, and has invested billions of dollars in developing countries over the past decade.
Building a healthcare structure in the three countries worst hit by Ebola is critical, otherwise deaths from preventable diseases will quickly outpace those from Ebola, Gates said.
If mothers are afraid to get professional assistance in delivering their babies for fear of contracting Ebola and children cannot get malaria treatments, the long-term impact of the epidemic will be far more damaging, he said.
'That will be very tragic, and it won't get the type of attention that Ebola is getting,' Gates said.
He estimated that it will take 20 years of donor investment in some African countries to build resilient healthcare systems able to control preventable diseases and manage health crises.
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'Because of that uncertainty, I am not going to hazard a guess,' Gates said after being asked whether he thinks the massive ramping up of international aid over the past few weeks is enough.
The World Bank has started working with countries on developing plans should the highly infectious disease spread.
The lesson so far is that countries with strong primary healthcare systems already in place are well positioned to halt the march of Ebola, as Nigeria and Senegal have demonstrated in their quick response to cases there, Gates said.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funneled extra money in July and August towards Nigeria and pledged an additional $50million on September 10 to fight the epidemic, which so far has infected over 6,000 people mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The World Health Organization warns the infection rate probably is three times that number and could reach 20,000 by November. The death rate is over 50 per cent.
The lesson so far is that countries with strong primary healthcare systems already in place are well positioned to halt the march of Ebola, as Nigeria and Senegal have demonstrated in their quick response to cases there, Gates said.
To contain the epidemic, the United States on September 16 announced the deployment of 3,000 military engineers and medical personnel to build 17 treatment clinics and train healthcare workers, mostly in Liberia, at a cost of about $1billion.
The United Kingdom and France also are increasing their assistance and the United Nations has stepped forward to coordinate the international effort.
The Gates Foundation has deep expertise in fighting infectious diseases, especially malaria, HIV/Aids, polio and tuberculosis, and has invested billions of dollars in developing countries over the past decade.
Building a healthcare structure in the three countries worst hit by Ebola is critical, otherwise deaths from preventable diseases will quickly outpace those from Ebola, Gates said.
If mothers are afraid to get professional assistance in delivering their babies for fear of contracting Ebola and children cannot get malaria treatments, the long-term impact of the epidemic will be far more damaging, he said.
'That will be very tragic, and it won't get the type of attention that Ebola is getting,' Gates said.
He estimated that it will take 20 years of donor investment in some African countries to build resilient healthcare systems able to control preventable diseases and manage health crises.
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