Health

Ebola Today: Family of First US Ebola Victim Feeling Ostracized

The cruise ship Carnival Magic, which was carrying a passenger being monitored for symptoms of Ebola, passed near Cozumel , Mexico, in this Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 file photo. AP Photo/Angel Castellanos, File

By Jon Palmer and Chelsea Rice

October 19, 2014

4 minutes to read

8:35 p.m. ET: Family of first US Ebola victim feeling ostracized. The family of Thomas Eric Duncan, who died Oct. 8, have been quarantined in the weeks since Duncan was first diagnosed with Ebola.

But as their mandatory 21-day observation period expires at midnight on Sunday, Duncan’s family described increasing anxiety based on treatment they’ve gotten from friends and other members of their Dallas community, reported The Guardian.

That treatment reportedly includes apartment managers trying to avoid repairing a broken refrigerator; a cable TV technician leaving internet service equipment on the street instead of installing it after being informed the customers were Duncan’s family; and people throwing rocks at the homes of people mistaken for Duncan’s relatives. The family has not shown any Ebola symptoms.

Duncan’s fiancee, Louise Troh, also expressed concern over how her children will be treated once they are permitted to return to school on Monday.

While some local officials have offered their assistance, Troh was trying her best to remain positive. “I’m hopeful, because I don’t know what else to do,’’ she told The Guardian.

3:07 p.m. ET: Spanish nursing assistant no longer has Ebola.

The nursing assistant who became infected with Ebola weeks ago has successfully fought off the disease, reported the Associated Press.

An initial test showed Teresa Romero’s bloodstream was clear of any trace of the virus, though authorities are awaiting the results of a second test for confirmation, according to health officials in Spain.

Romero, who became the first person to contract the disease outside of Africa, treated two patients who died of Ebola at a Spain hospital prior to becoming infected.

1:37 p.m. ET:Military forming ‘quick strike team’ for Ebola.CNN reported that, according to a Defense Department official, a 30-person “quick strike team’’ of doctors, nurses, and trainers is being formed by the US military in order to provide direct treatment to Ebola patients within the US. The official also said that, for the next month, the team would be under orders to deploy within 72 hours.

1:32 p.m. ET:UN Ebola chief says world ‘was not prepared.’ Anthony Banbury, the head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press’’ that “The world was not prepared for an outbreak of Ebola like this nature.’’

He also spoke to the need for more health care workers on the ground, adding, “We’re fighting a war against Ebola. We need soldiers on the ground. But instead of soldiers in camouflage, we need soldiers in lab coats and PPE suits taking care of the victims.’’

1:13 p.m. ET:British nurse back to Sierra Leone. William Pooley, the British nurse who contracted Ebola while a volunteer aid worker in Sierra Leone, has returned to the country to help fight the Ebola outbreak—even though, The Guardian reported, he was advised that he may not be immune to getting the disease again.

The AP reported that, in a statement, Pooley thanked his careworkers but said “the real emergency is in West Africa, and the teams out there need all the support we can give them.’’

10:30 a.m. ET:No-skin rule. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that new protocols for health care workers treating Ebola patients will include a directive to wear protective gear “with no skin showing.’’ He also noted that today marks the end of the 21-day incubation period for some of the Dallas health care workers who first interacted with deceased Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan.

7:40 a.m. ET:“Ebola cruise’’ passenger cleared. The Dallas health care worker who was being monitored for symptoms of Ebola while on a cruise ship has been cleared. The ship arrived in port in Galveston this morning, and blood tests retrieved from the ship by helicopter on Saturday were used to determine that the worker was not carrying the disease.

The worker, who is a lab supervisor at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and may have handled a specimen from deceased Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, left on a cruise to Belize before the hospital put a voluntary travel ban in place. The worker and her husband were denied entry to Belize, and had voluntarily entered the ship’s quarantine.

7:40 a.m. ET:Texas hospital CEO admits mistakes. Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan published a full-page ad in two Texas newspapers Sunday apologizing in part for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital’s handling of the country’s first case of Ebola. Berdan praised caregivers for their work, but said that the institution “made mistakes in handling this very difficult challenge.’’ Among the mistakes mentioned was the fact that Mr. Duncan’s recent trip to Africa had not been “communicated effectively among the care team.’’ Read Berdan’s full statement here.

Number of cases worldwide in the current outbreak: 9,216

Number of deaths: 4,555

And here’s your daily reminder not to panic:

The likelihood of contracting Ebola in Massachusetts remains very low, according to the state’s public health officials. You have to be in direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids while they are contagious (displaying symptoms of Ebola). Even if someone has been exposed, symptoms may appear as little as two days, and as many as 21 days, after exposure. The CDC says the average is 8 to 10 days. Here is a closer look at Ebola cases in the United States and the efforts to address its transmission. Ebola symptoms: – Fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F) – Severe headache – Muscle pain – Weakness – Diarrhea – Vomiting – Abdominal (stomach) pain – Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising) Need more details? Here’s an MGH physician dropping some knowledge for you.